SEA rescue organisations warned today that the number of deaths of migrants is set to rise a year after harsh new laws were passed by the right-wing Italian government.

The 22 organisations published a joint statement warning that more people drowned in the central Mediterranean in 2023 than the previous year.

Giorgia Meloni’s far-right Italian government introduced a new law last year that tried to reduce the presence of rescue ships off their shores, limit their capacity to carry out rescues and to block the arrival of migrants into Italy.

But the signatories to the statement, including Doctors without Borders, Sea-Eye, Sea-Watch, SOS Humanity, SOS Mediterranee and United4Rescue, say 2023 was the deadliest year in the central Mediterranean since 2017, with at least 2,500 people drowned or missing.

Marie Michel, a policy expert at the Berlin-based SOS Humanity, said: “Instead of increasing rescue capacities, the Italian government is allowing the humanitarian disaster on the world’s deadliest refugee route to worsen further by obstructing search and rescue NGOs.

“We urge the European Union and its member states to respect international maritime law and human rights and to stop obstructing our life-saving work in the Mediterranean.”