SAN ROQUE, Spain: A charity rescue boat carrying 311 mainly African migrants plucked off Libya entered Spanish waters Friday morning and was set to berth in a southern port near Gibraltar.
Proactiva Open Arms, the Spanish charity which runs the Open Arms vessel said the migrants -- who include pregnant women, children and babies -- were mainly from Somalia, Nigeria and Mali.
The ship will dock in the port of Crinavis, in San Roque, near the city of Algeciras.
"Good morning, Open Arms is already in the Bay of Gibraltar and is steering towards the only port available to it in the Mediterranean. Mission accomplished," tweeted the charity's founder Oscar Camps.
The migrants were rescued on December 21 from three vessels but were denied entry by Italy and Malta. Libya, France and Tunisia did not respond to Proactiva Open Arms' requests for permission to dock, Madrid said.
On Saturday, a newborn baby and his mother were helicoptered from the boat to Malta, while a 14-year-old suffering from a serious skin infection was taken to the Italian island of Lampedusa.
Photos and videos posted by the charity showed the rest of the rescued migrants marking Christmas at sea listening to music and singing. Some children wore red Santa hats as they huddled together on the small rescue ship.
Police will identify the migrants before moving them to shelters.
Proactiva Open Arms operates in the sea between Libya and southern Europe, coming to the aid of migrants who get into difficulties during the crossing from northern Africa.
It will be the first time since August that Spain has allowed a charity rescue ship to dock and unload migrants in the country.
The Open Arms resumed its patrols of the Mediterranean off the Libyan coast in late November, along with two other boats run by migrant aid groups.
In August it had suspended its missions, accusing governments, and Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini by name, of "criminalising" migrant rescue charities.
Salvini has denied the groups access to Italy's ports, accusing them of acting as a "taxi service" for migrants. Malta too has been increasingly unwilling to host rescue vessels.
"Your rhetoric and your message will, like everything in this life, end," Proactiva Open Arms' founder Camps told Salvini on Twitter earlier.
"But you should know that in a few decades your descendants will be ashamed of what you do and say."
More than 1,300 migrants have perished trying to reach Italy or Malta since the beginning of the year, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
That makes this stretch of the Mediterranean the most deadly for migrants attempting the crossing to Europe.
Spain meanwhile has become Europe's main entry point for migrants this year, overtaking Greece and Italy.
More 56,000 migrants have arrived in Spain by sea this year, and 769 have died trying, according to the IOM.
Boat carrying over 300 migrants rescued off Libya reaches Spain
Boat carrying over 300 migrants rescued off Libya reaches Spain
- The Spanish charity which runs the Open Arms vessel said the migrants were mainly from Somalia, Nigeria and Mali
- They were rescued on December 21 from three vessels but were denied entry by Italy and Malta
Gulf countries offer support to Yemen’s legitimate government, Saudi security
- Qatar, Kuwait say their security is based on the security of Saudi Arabia and the GCC
- Bahrain said it had confidence in the leadership of Saudi Arabia and the UAE to contain differences
LONDON: Gulf and Arab countries on Tuesday offered support to the internationally recognized government in Yemen after the UAE withdrew its forces from the country.
The statements were issued after the military coalition supporting Yemen’s government carried out airstrikes on a shipment of weapons and vehicles destined for southern separatist forces.
The shipment arrived in the port of Mukalla on board two vessels from Fujairah in the UAE.
The Emirates was asked by Rashad Al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s presidential council, to withdraw its troops from Yemen within 24 hours.
Saudi Arabia said the separatists, operating under the Southern Transitional Council and supported by the UAE, posed a direct threat to the Kingdom’s national security and regional stability by recently seizing territory in the governorates of Hadramaut and Al-Mahra.
Qatar said it was following the developments “with keen interest.”
A foreign ministry statement said Doha fully supported the legitimate Yemeni government and stressed the importance of preserving Yemen's unity and safeguarding the interests of the Yemeni people.
It added that the security of Saudi Arabia and the security of the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) “constitute an inseparable part of the security of the State of Qatar, reflecting the deep-rooted fraternal ties and shared destiny that unite the GCC states.”
The ministry commended the statements issued by Saudi Arabia and the UAE “which reflect a commitment to prioritizing the interests of the region.”
Kuwait also offered “unwavering support” for Yemen’s government and said the security of Saudi Arabia and GCC is the basis of its own national security.
Its foreign ministry praised the “responsible approach” taken by both Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Bahrain, the current GCC chair, said it had confidence in the leadership of Saudi Arabia and the UAE “and their ability to contain any differences in viewpoints within the framework of a unified Gulf.”
The foreign ministry statement offered “unequivocal” support toward regional and international initiatives and efforts aimed at reaching a comprehensive and lasting political solution in Yemen.
Egypt said it had full confidence in Saudi Arabia and the UAE “to handle the current developments in Yemen with wisdom.”
Cairo will continue efforts toward a comprehensive political settlement for Yemen, the statement said.
