A report by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says that no fewer than 400 migrants died between January and March 2023 while attempting to cross the Central Mediterranean. This route – stretching from North Africa to Italy and, to a lesser degree, Malta – is the world’s most dangerous maritime crossing. IOM stated that the figure represents the deadliest first quarter on record since 2017. The UN agency’s Missing Migrants Project documented 441 deaths during the same period, noting that the true number is likely higher.
Investigations continue into several “invisible shipwrecks,” cases where boats are reported missing but there are no records of survivors or search‑and‑rescue (SAR) operations. According to IOM, the fate of more than 300 people aboard those vessels remains unclear. The rise in deaths comes amid delays in State‑led rescue responses and hindrances to SAR operations carried out by non‑governmental organisations (NGOs). “The persisting humanitarian crisis in the Central Mediterranean is intolerable. With more than 20,000 deaths recorded on this route since 2014, I fear that these deaths have been normalised. States must respond. Delays and gaps in State‑led SAR are costing human lives,” said IOM Director General António Vitorino.
Delays in State‑led rescues were cited as a factor in at least six incidents in the Central Mediterranean, leading to at least 127 fatalities, while a seventh case with no response claimed at least 73 lives. Meanwhile, NGO‑led rescue efforts have been “markedly diminished” of late, the UN agency noted. On 25 March, the Libyan Coast Guard fired shots in the air as the NGO rescue ship Ocean King responded to a report of a rubber boat in distress. The following day, another vessel, the Louise Michel, was detained in Italy after rescuing 180 people, echoing the earlier detention of the Geo Barents in February, which was later released.
Over the past weekend, 3,000 migrants reached Italy, bringing the total number of arrivals so far this year to 31,192, IOM reported. On Tuesday, a vessel carrying roughly 800 people was rescued more than 200 kilometres southeast of Sicily by the Italian Coast Guard with the assistance of a commercial vessel. The Coast Guard also rescued another ship with around 400 migrants that had been adrift for two days between Italy and Malta. IOM noted that not all migrants from these ships had yet reached safety and disembarked in Italy.
“Saving lives at sea is a legal obligation for States,” Vitorino said, adding that “we need to see proactive State‑led coordination in search and rescue efforts.” IOM emphasized that the troubling situation in the Central Mediterranean underscores the need for dedicated, predictable State‑led SAR and disembarkation, as well as support for NGOs that provide lifesaving assistance at sea. The agency called for an end to the criminalisation, obstruction and deterrence of those who help migrants, and reminded that all maritime vessels, including commercial ships, have a legal obligation to rescue boats in distress. Finally, IOM urged more concerted action to dismantle criminal smuggling networks and to prosecute those who profit from the desperation of migrants and refugees by facilitating dangerous journeys.
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