Hundreds of migrants and human rights activists gathered in Rome on Saturday to protest Italy’s migrant deal with Libya, following a tragic boat wreck in the Mediterranean that left around 20 people feared dead.
The protest came as criticism grows over the 2017 Italy-Libya migration agreement, renewed under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her right-wing government. Under the deal, Italy provides funding and training to the Libyan Coast Guard in exchange for preventing migrants from crossing the Mediterranean or returning them to Libya. The agreement is due for renewal next month.
At the rally, several migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa shared heartbreaking stories of abuse and survival in Libya. Activists and supporters also held a minute of silence for those who lost their lives trying to reach Europe. “In the central Mediterranean, there is a line called the line of death,” said activist Sarita Fratini, who has been assisting migrants in legal cases against Italy for their forced return to Libya. “In the Libyan area, you get captured. In the north, you die because no one is there.”
Protesters condemned the inhumane conditions inside Libyan detention centres, where former detainees have reported torture, rape, and other abuses. One migrant, Irene Dea from Ivory Coast, said she had tried three times to reach Europe, losing 12 companions on her first attempt. After being pushed back by Libyan forces, she spent six months in the Az-Zawiyah detention centre, where she witnessed women being raped and lived in severe distress.
Humanitarian groups have raised concerns about increasing violence by Libya’s coastguard, including recent reports of shootings at migrant boats. Last week, the NGO Alarm Phone, which operates a hotline for migrants stranded in the Mediterranean, reported that Libyan forces fired on a vessel carrying more than 100 migrants near Malta. Survivors later confirmed the attack after being rescued by Italy’s coastguard.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 1,000 people have died this year attempting the dangerous sea crossing from North Africa to Europe. On Friday, Italy’s coastguard launched a search for survivors after a boat carrying about 30 migrants capsized in Malta’s search-and-rescue zone, roughly 50 miles southeast of Lampedusa. Seven people were rescued, four were picked up by a merchant ship, and one body was recovered.
UNICEF’s Italian coordinator, Nicola Dell’Arciprete, confirmed that a pregnant woman had died and several children were missing. Four unaccompanied minors were among the survivors who said their boat had departed Al Khums, Libya, before capsizing after two days at sea.
Sea-Watch International, a humanitarian group that operates migrant rescue vessels, condemned Italy and Malta’s delayed response, stating that both countries were alerted to the stranded boat by Alarm Phone but “did not send help until it was too late.” Alarm Phone also accused authorities of neglect, saying, “We fear about 20 deaths. We cannot express our anger at yet another group consciously being left to die.”
As the death toll continues to rise, calls for Italy to end its cooperation with Libya are growing louder, with activists demanding that Europe prioritize human life, dignity, and safe migration routes over restrictive border control policies.