CAIRO: The UN migration agency said Tuesday that a boat carrying migrants bound for Europe capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya, leaving at least two dozen people drowned or missing and presumed dead, the latest shipwreck off the North African country.
Safa Msehli, a spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration, told The Associated Press that Libya’s coast guard intercepted three boats on Monday, and one of them had capsized.
She said the coast guard retrieved two bodies, and survivors reported 22 others were missing and presumed dead.
At least 45 survivors on the three boats were returned to the shore. All migrants were men, with a majority from Egypt and Morocco, she said.
“This new tragedy signals yet again the need for increased search and rescue capacity in the Mediterranean. Instead, we are seeing restrictions on NGOs and long, unnecessary stand-offs,” Msehli said.
The shipwreck was the latest maritime disaster involving migrants seeking a better life in Europe.
In August, a boat carrying dozens of migrants capsized leaving at least 45 people drowned or missing and presumed dead, marking the largest number of fatalities in a single shipwreck off the coast of the North African country.
Libya, which descended into chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi, has emerged as a major transit point for African and Arab migrants fleeing war and poverty to Europe.
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Boat capsizes near Libya, 2 dozen migrants presumed dead
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Boat capsizes near Libya, 2 dozen migrants presumed dead
- Libya’s coast guard intercepted three boats on Monday, and one of them had capsized
- The coast guard retrieved two bodies, and survivors reported 22 others were missing
WHO says more than 30 killed in three Sudan health center attacks
- The attacks took place in South Kordofan region - the war's main battleground
- WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warns Sudan's helath system is under attack
GENEVA: Sudan’s South Kordofan region has seen attacks on three health facilities in the past week alone, leaving more than 30 dead, the World Health Organziation said Sunday.
“Sudan’s health system is under attack again,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned on X.
The Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been at war since April 2023, with the conflict killing tens of thousands of people, displacing millions more and triggering one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
In the central Sudanese region of Kordofan, where fighting is now concentrated, Tedros said the health system had faced numerous attacks.
“This week alone, three health facilities were attacked in South Kordofan, in a region already suffering acute malnutrition,” he said.
On February 3, he said an attack on a primary health center killed eight people — five children and three women — and injured 11.
Then a day later, “a hospital was attacked killing one person,” he said.
And “on February 5, another attack on a hospital killed 22 people — including 4 health workers — and injured 8,” the WHO chief said.
“The whole world should get behind Sudan’s peace initiative to end violence, protect the people and rebuild the health system,” he insisted.
“The best medicine is peace.”
“Sudan’s health system is under attack again,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned on X.
The Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been at war since April 2023, with the conflict killing tens of thousands of people, displacing millions more and triggering one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
In the central Sudanese region of Kordofan, where fighting is now concentrated, Tedros said the health system had faced numerous attacks.
“This week alone, three health facilities were attacked in South Kordofan, in a region already suffering acute malnutrition,” he said.
On February 3, he said an attack on a primary health center killed eight people — five children and three women — and injured 11.
Then a day later, “a hospital was attacked killing one person,” he said.
And “on February 5, another attack on a hospital killed 22 people — including 4 health workers — and injured 8,” the WHO chief said.
“The whole world should get behind Sudan’s peace initiative to end violence, protect the people and rebuild the health system,” he insisted.
“The best medicine is peace.”
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