Last February, a video surfaced showing a group of illegal immigrants thanking a well-known Libyan smuggler for his services. The matter would not be important were it not for the fact that it was recorded in the presence of members of a German NGO, who were on hand to assist the illegal immigrants who had set course for Italy.
According to FRONTEX sources consulted by this newspaper, SOS Humanity – the NGO involved – is now being targeted by the Italian authorities, who are investigating the extent of the humanitarian organisation’s involvement in promoting the services of the Libyan trafficker.
The publicity footage was first discovered and published by the well-known Australian international observer, Migrant Rescue Watch, which for at least a decade has been analysing in the Central Mediterranean the behaviour of humanitarian organisations operating to assist boats departing from northern Libya.
According to Migrant Rescue Watch, the videos and images show how the illegal immigrants, shortly after being rescued after a minimal crossing from Libyan territory, begin to thank the Libyan trafficker Naseem Areebi (nicknamed Al-Zuwari), while the members of the German NGO assist them and then transfer them on board the SOS Humanity ship.
On the other hand, according to Il Giornale, at least some of the images were filmed by the Libyan trafficker himself, Naseem Areebi. Given the perspective from which the images were taken, they could have been filmed from the seat of the boat’s skipper, as he watched the German NGO take charge of the migrants who had contracted his services. “Al-Zuwari, number one”, the happy illegal immigrants repeat, and then a personalised song is added to the video, praising the smuggler even more.
The “rescue” in question took place on 31 January by Humanity 1, the rescue ship of the German organisation SOS Humanity, which, like other similar organisations, has often been criticised for acting as a taxi for migrants in the Central Mediterranean. It picks them up just outside African territorial waters and sends them directly to Italy.
The celebratory videos continue once all the illegal immigrants are on board the vessel, showing how a handful of them start dancing, inviting crew members to join in. The videos refer to contacting the Libyan smugglers in charge of organising such journeys to the location of the vessels of humanitarian organisations operating in the Central Mediterranean.
Four days later, the Humanity 1 unloaded the 64 illegal immigrants in Massa Carrara (Italy). According to the Italian newspaper’s investigation, it is suspected that the boat’s skipper, Al-Zuwari or an employee of his, may also have made the journey to Italy posing as a refugee.
According to Migrant Rescue Watch, the images not only show the total absence of any kind of “danger at sea”, but also demonstrate that SOS Humanity was “deliberately complicit” in the creation of the videos, which were clearly intended to be used as promotional content.
