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Rome:An Italian prosecutor is investigating some members of humanitarian organisations rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean Sea on suspicion they may have cooperated with people smugglers.

AmbrogioCartosio, chief prosecutor of the western Sicilian city ofTrapani, told a parliamentary committee in Rome on Wednesday that the organisations themselves were not a target of the inquiry.

Suspicions arose because some rescue crew seemed to know in advance where to find the flimsy boats crowded with migrants after smugglers sent them off from north African ports, he said.

Migrant arrivals to Italy by sea are up almost 40 per cent this year over the same period in 2016, and more than a half-million people have come in the past three years. Some Italian politicians have begun saying the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) run a "taxi" service bringing migrants to Italy.

"We understand that NGOs made some rescues at sea without informing the Coast Guard,"Cartosiosaid. Italy's Coast Guard is in charge of coordinating all rescues in international waters off the shores of Libya.

The prosecutor gave no further details. By law, information regarding ongoing probes must be kept secret. Aid groups have strongly denied any ties to human traffickers.

NGO boats operating off the coast of Libya have come in for criticism in Italy in recent months after the prosecutor in Catania, on Sicily's east coast, opened a fact-finding probe into possible ties between NGOs and Libya-based traffickers.

Catania prosecutorCarmeloZuccarohas not opened a criminal probe because he says he has no evidence of actual collusion between human traffickers and rescue boat crews, although he does maintain the two sides have been in telephone contact.

But political parties including 5-Star Movement - Italy's most popular according to polls - have seized onZuccaro'scomments as proof of an NGO "taxi" service for migrants.

Cartosiosaid he had no evidence of phone contacts between NGOs and smugglers or of payments by traffickers to NGOs, another accusationZuccarois looking into.

"I agree 100 per cent with the work of the NGOs, even if their work saves only one human life,"Cartosiosaid.

News of the investigation comes asLibyancoastguard turned a woodenboat with nearly 500 migrantson board back to Tripoliafter warning off a NGO ship.

Footage filmed by Sea-Watch, a non-governmental organisation, showed a Libyan coastguard vessel coming within metres of its own ship as it sped to stop the migrants.

Tripoli coastguard spokesmanAyoubQassemaccused the NGO og hindering the coastguard's work.

"An international rescue organisation called Sea-Watch tried to hinder the work of our coastguard ... in a bid to take the migrants, claiming Libya is not safe for migrants," he said.

Qassemsaid the coastguard had also exchanged fire with smugglers, but gave no details.

RubenNeugebauer, a spokesman for Sea-Watch, said the NGO had received instruction from Italy's coastguard control centre in Rome that the Libyan coastguard would be taking over "on-scene command", and that the Sea-Watch ship had stopped to await further instructions.

"Without any warning, they crossed our bow on the way to the migrant boat,"Neugebauersaid. "They made an extremely dangerous manoeuvre. They nearly hit our boat, they endangered our crew."

Libya is the main departure point for migrants hoping to reach Europe by sea. The country has been in turmoil for years and migrants living there or passing through say they are subject to a range of abuses.

Separately, Italian police in the southern city of Bari said on Wednesday they arrested five people who allegedly organised passage to other European countries for African migrants rescued in the Mediterranean. Police are still hunting for 10 others.

Reuters

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Migrant crisis: Italy investigates rescue workers while Libya turns back boat - The Sydney Morning Herald

Europe

18:02 11.05.2017(updated 18:07 11.05.2017) Get short URL

STOCKHOLM (Sputnik) Earlier inthe day, the Council ofthe European Union allowed Austria, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway toextend their internal border checks bysix months.

"I have no doubt that border control measures, alongsidetightening ofimmigration policy implemented bythe government, have a preventive impact onthe flow ofmigrants, which still stands atlow and therefore manageable level," Integration Minister Inger Stojberg was quoted assaying inthe press release.

Amid a major influx ofmigrants toEurope, the number ofindividuals who applied forasylum inDenmark in2015 exceeded 21,000. In response tothe migrant crisis, Denmark, aswell assome other EU countries, toughened its migration laws and temporarily reinstated border controls.

REUTERS/ Asger Ladefoged/Scanpix Denmark/Files

Europe has faced an unprecedented influx ofundocumented migrants fromthe Middle East and North Africa, fleeing their home countries toescape violence and poverty. Many migrants arrive bysea tothe shores ofmaritime states and try tomove further towealthier European countries, such asthe United Kingdom, Germany and Sweden.

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Migrant Crisis: Denmark Prolongs Control Measures on Border With ... - Sputnik International

BBC News

Migrant crisis: UN says 250 missing in shipwrecks BBC News The central Mediterranean route for illegal migration to Europe is currently the busiest. It is also one of the most deadly, the UN says. "Since the beginning of 2017, one person out of 35 has died on the sea journey from Libya to Italy," UN High ... and more »

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Migrant crisis: UN says 250 missing in shipwrecks - BBC News

Europe

19:08 09.05.2017 Get short URL

Following a conference inThessaloniki, Greece, May 8, onthe need for "a truly European solution tothe refugee crisis based onthe principle ofrespect forfundamental human rights," the president ofthe Global Progressive Forum, Socialists and Democrats, Enrique Guerrero Salom, said EU members had a duty toengage toresolve the crisis byworking together.

"Our duty is topromote a common progressive approach tothe refugee and migration crisis based onrespect forhuman rights and solidarity betweenEU institutions and member states. I express my gratitude tothe Greek people and authorities fortheir efforts and democratic approach tothis humanitarian crisis," said Salom.

"EU member states must now take uptheir responsibilities ina spirit ofsolidarity foraccelerated and steady relocation fromGreece and Italy. We must urgently find solutions especially interms ofrelocation and integration," he said.

"With a budget ofUS$272 million, this year our focus is ontwo key objectives: tomove refugees fromcamps torented accommodation and tomove away fromcatering toa cash system and communal kitchen facilities," European Commissioner forhumanitarian aid and crisis management Christos Stylianidis said.

"Our commitment is tocontinue helping the Greek authorities intheir response tothe refugee crisis. We will continue toprovide our assistance tothose who need it most, ina neutral and impartial way," he said.

"We express our solidarity withthe Greek citizens, withthe local and regional authorities, withthe efforts ofthe Greek government. But we must push forrelocation tocontinue, forthe Dublin regulation totake intoaccount the realities ofthe present circumstances and foran initiative tolower tensions withTurkey. The precious agreement gives us time tobreathe, butwe must use this time wisely," said Socialist and Democrat (S&D) MEP Miltos Kyrkos.

The Commission, 2015, promoted the controversial scheme torelocate 160,000 fromItaly and Greece torelieve pressure onboth countries, butthe scheme has so far only relocated a little over16,000 just ten percent ofthe original target, which itself was reduced to98,255.

Disagreements

There are two relocation plans onthe EU agenda: the Greece-Italy relocations designed totake the weight offthose two counties and redistribute refugees acrossEU member states according toa mandatory quota system and the EU-Turkey deal torelocate "irregular migrants" (those refused asylum) back toTurkey inreturn ona one-for-one basis forSyrian refugees inTurkey being relocated aroundEU member states.

REUTERS/ Michalis Karagiannis

However, according tothe Commission, so far only 18,119 have been relocated underthe relocation scheme (as atMay 9, 2017). The Commission has threatened topunish any member state that still refuses toallocate spaces forrefugees bySeptember 2017 two years afterthe original agreement was made.

"Today we had an excellent discussion onthe safety ofour borders and the integration ofthe refugees " Our priority is toprotect the children, especially the unaccompanied ones, while maintaining a balance inour priorities and supporting the Greek and European people living inextreme poverty, sincecountries likeGreece and Italy have been guarding the borders formany years and the resulting cost ofthe migration crisis is unbearable. We need toexchange best practices and form a holistic strategy toface the crisis," said S&D MEP Eva Kaili.

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MEPs Call for Solidarity, 'Urgent Solution' Over Migrant Crisis - Sputnik International

From waves of dinghies setting off from Libya to the appearance of privately-funded rescue ships, the face of the migration crisis in the Mediterranean has changed greatly over the past few years.

Overcrowding dinghies

Up until 2014, people traffickers took migrants headed for Europe out into international waters on "mother ships" before transferring them to smaller boats.

But when Rome launched Mare Nostrum in late 2013, Italy began to catch smugglers in international waters, forcing the criminals to change tactics, stay in Libyan waters and put people out to sea in expendable rubber boats which easily sank.

Their business model changed too. In early 2015 many Syrians - who had previously accounted for about 25 percent of passengers departing from Libya and could afford to pay more for the journey - switched to the Balkan route.

Photo: Giovanni Isolino/AFP

To recover their loses in the central Mediterranean, traffickers upped the number of passengers per vessel. They also largely stopped issuing satellite phones, meaning those in trouble could not call for help.

In 2015 Italy's coast guard registered 676 dinghies - 80 percent of which had a satellite phone on board - carrying an average of 103 people. By 2016 the number of dinghies had risen to 1,094 - with only 45 percent carrying a satellite phone, but each with an average of 122 passengers.

Mass departures stretched rescue resources to the limits: over 13,000 people were saved in five days at the end of May 2016, another 14,000 in four days in August - including a record of 7,000 in one day - and 10,800 at the start of October.

Tragedies bring rescuers

In 2014, about 70 percent of migrants were rescued by the Italian navy and coast guard, and 24 percent by commercial ships. But amid complaints it was serving as a "bridge to Europe" for migrants, Italy axed Mare Nostrum.

The safety line was cut, but departures continued, and after two shipwrecks killed 1,200 people in April 2015 the European Union beefed up its Frontex border control's Operation Triton and launched the Sophia anti-smuggling operation.

The tragedies also prompted the launch of privately-funded rescue vessels, with up to a dozen boats taking part at present.

Photo: Andreas Solaro/AFP

The larger boats combined rescued 26 percent of migrants in 2016, while the smaller ones handed out life jackets and gave emergency care to those in distress while help from bigger vessels arrived.

Italy's navy and coast guard still perform 40 percent of rescues, while the Sophia operation carries out 13 percent and Frontex 7.5 percent, according to the coast guard.

Despite their efforts, over 4,500 migrants died or were missing and feared drowned in 2016, and another 1,000 have met the same fate this year. Some succumb to the cold or dehydration, or are suffocated by fuel fumes, or trapped in overcrowded boats.

READ MORE: Why Italy is seeing a surge in winter migrant arrivals

A profitable business

In total, nearly 550,000 migrants arrived in Italy between 2013 and 2016, and 37,000 have landed in the country so far this year.

Photo: AFP

According to Sophia, some Libyan coastal areas derive 50 percent of their income from smuggling migrants. A dinghy with 100 passengers can fetch up to 67,000 euros ($73,000), while a wooden boat with 400 people can earn up to 380,000 euros.

Frontex estimates the business has a turnover of between four and six billion euros.

READ MORE: Italy arrests suspected migrant traffickers for 'inhumane treatment'

EU's strategy

The European Union is in the process of training and equipping Libyan coast guards so they will be able to prevent departures or at least stop boats reaching international waters.

So far this year over 4,000 migrants have been intercepted, according to the International Organisation for Migration.

The idea is that they be escorted back to camps in Libya, and then returned to their home countries where possible.

But human rights organizations have said the chaotic situation in crisis-hit Libya makes it impossible to declare it a safe place to return migrants, while many of those fleeing war or persecution cannot be simply returned home.

By Fanny Carrier

READ ALSO: Meet the Italian doctor giving hope to thousands of migrants

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The changing face of the Mediterranean migrant crisis - The Local Italy