Irini Mandate Extended with Serious Amendments

Yesterday, the German Bundestag talked about the Irini mandate. This mandate is reviewed at regular intervals. This time, however, a devastating change in wording has been introduced, which will now allow the German armed forces (Bundeswehr) to equip and train the so-called Libyan coast guard. In previous versions of the mandate, this had been suspended due to the lack of reliable partners in Libya.

In the current mandate, this fact no longer seems to matter. “The political situation in Libya remains marked by a stalled political transition process, conflicting political factions and increasingly divided institutions in the East and West.” Nevertheless, the new mandate text states: “The operation also supports relevant Libyan institutions responsible for law enforcement and search and rescue at sea, in building their capacities and conducting training in maritime law enforcement (…)”. What exactly these changes mean is not clearly communicated or further explained in the mandate.

The so-called Libyan coast guard regularly violates human rights and uses extreme violence against people fleeing by sea as well as against crews on rescue ships. In recent weeks alone, four rescue ships flying European flags and carrying numerous rescued individuals on board were directly fired upon by the so-called Libyan coast guard. Another dramatic incident occurred this week involving a wooden boat carrying 140 people fleeing across the sea. In that case, Libyan militias deliberately opened fire on the people onboard. One person is now in a coma with a severe gunshot wound and two others were seriously injured.

With the amendment to the Irini mandate, the German Bundeswehr would now be able to supply weapons for such attacks to the so-called Libyan coast guard and provide training to these militias for such maneuvers.While many European countries already support this actively, the German government had previously refrained from doing so. This amendment marks a new milestone in the brutal migration policy of the current German government and makes the work of sea rescuers even more dangerous.

Anna di Bari, board member of Sea-Eye, warns: “When Europe releases funds, it actively contributes to financing human rights violations — now even with a blank check from Germany. People leave their homes because they have no other choice; they endure extreme hardship and deadly risks in the hope of a safe life. And now it seems Germany is choosing to support those who drag back people who are seeking protection and torture, rape and even kill them. The federal government must reveal its plans: Is it truly preparing to train those actors who shoot at people seeking protection? We will not allow more and more European tax money to flow into a border policy that disregards human dignity.”

The previous German government had taken a first step by halting training efforts, in order to ensure that this task would no longer be part of the mission across Europe. Sea-Eye demands full transparency of the current plans and an immediate end to any cooperation with Libyan militias.

What is the Irini Mandate?
The EUNAVFOR MED Irini operation is intended to ensure the enforcement of the arms embargo against Libya. However, the mandate also includes a number of additional tasks, such as enforcing measures against the illegal export of oil from Libya, monitoring and potentially dismantling illegal human trafficking activities at sea and now also supporting relevant institutions in Libya.

40-hour transit at 33 degrees Celsius severely affects the health of those rescued

During Saturday night, the crew of the SEA-EYE 5 responded to a distress call from the organisation Alarm Phone at around 3:00 a.m. and was able to rescue 43 people from imminent danger. A few hours later, at around 6:00 a.m., the crew spotted another unseaworthy boat with nine people, who were also safely taken aboard the all-weather lifeboat.

Among the 52 people rescued are three babies and two pregnant women. The rescue ship is currently on its way to Brindisi, assigned port of safety by the Italian authorities.

“The people on board have already been through a great deal,” reports Dr Giovanni Cappa,  on-board doctor on the SEA-EYE 5 for German Doctors. “The extreme heat and the swell are very difficult to cope with, especially for the babies and pregnant women. It would be so easy to alleviate their suffering by allowing us to head for a closer port of safety as quickly as possible.”

The SEA-EYE 5 is designed for emergency rescues, but not for long transit routes. In addition, drinking water supplies are becoming increasingly scarce. The crew of the SEA-EYE 5 has already asked the Italian authorities twice to assign a closer port, but both requests remained unsuccessful.

Gorden Isler, Chairman of Sea-Eye e. V., explains: “These people have already experienced the unimaginable. Now they are being forced to endure extremely stressful conditions and wait unnecessarily long periods for disembarkation – these are disgusting political power games and inhumane and absolutely unacceptable behaviour, carried out at the expense of people who have already had to leave everything behind in the hope of a better future – knowing full well that the attempt could cost them their lives.”

Sea-Eye and WeAct submit petition with 93.724 signatures – German government remains silent, Green Party pledges support

Ahead of the budget committee’s reconciliation meeting, the civil sea rescue organization Sea-Eye, together with Campact, protests against the impending end of state funding for civil sea rescue. The cut of 2 million euros per year has been met with widespread protest from civil society and politicians: this morning, Sea-Eye handed over a WeAct petition with around 94,000 signatures to Britta Haßelmann and Ricarda Lang (Alliance 90/The Greens) in front of the Reichstag building. Chancellor Merz (CDU), Foreign Minister Wadephul (CDU), and Finance Minister Klingbeil (SPD), the recipients of the petition, have so far failed to respond. 

“With our protest today, we want to make it very clear that the federal government has lost its moral compass,” says Kai Echelmeyer, board member of Sea-Eye e.V. “Instead of protecting human rights and taking responsibility, it is cutting lifesaving measures from the budget. This is not only a fatal political signal, but also a declaration of humanitarian bankruptcy.”

Since the plans for cuts became known at the end of June, there has been massive resistance to the proposed end of funding. Sea-Eye and its supporters mobilized tens of thousands of people within a very short time – among other things, over 7,000 personal emails were sent to members of the Bundestag. The main target was the SPD, which had declared its support for the funding of civil sea rescue at its last party conference. Twelve SPD members of parliament then appealed to Foreign Minister Wadephul in an open letter to reconsider the cut in Budget Section 05. Without federal funding, missions could be canceled – resulting in more deaths in the Mediterranean.

“The amount that has been earmarked [for civil sea rescue] so far is so small that this is not a matter of budget consolidation and austerity measures, which would be bad enough, but rather of intimidating civil society and enforcing a fundamentally anti-immigration policy […]. We will not go along with this course,” Ricarda Lang (Alliance 90/The Greens) makes clear.

Britta Haßelmann (Alliance 90/The Greens) emphasizes: “Civil sea rescue must be financed. It is a really small contribution in this large federal budget. […] That is why we are entering the budget planning process with a motion initiative from Alliance 90/The Greens to continue financing civil sea rescue. It should actually be the responsibility and duty of the state to rescue people from distress at sea.” 

For the first time, the federal government supported the humanitarian work of civil sea rescue organizations with 2 million euros annually starting in 2022. This financial support has enabled organizations such as Sea-Eye to carry out additional missions and, literally, save lives. The cancellation of these funds will have a direct impact on rescue operations and the chances of survival for people in distress at sea. The budget committee’s decision is expected during the reconciliation meeting.

The attack by Hamas on 7 October 2023 and the escalating, immeasurable human suffering caused by Israel’s response constitute a fundamental violation of international humanitarian law. It is the backbone of the protection of civilians in armed conflicts – it applies always, everywhere and to everyone. It is non-negotiable, non-relativisable, and indivisible. Sea-Eye e.V. therefore appeals to all parties to respect international humanitarian law without exception.

Hamas must treat all hostages still in its custody humanely and release them unconditionally. The collective punishment of the population of Gaza through forced displacement, starvation or blockade by the Israeli government must end immediately. The deliberate violation of rules protecting humanitarian principles is an attack on the fundamental principles of humanity – and cannot be justified under any circumstances.

Sea-Eye therefore fully endorses the declaration of the 111 humanitarian organisations and supports the resolution of Médecins Sans Frontières, which calls for an immediate ceasefire and unhindered access for aid supplies by land under UN coordination.

Previously, two people with serious injuries had to be medically evacuated

At around 12:00 noon on Thursday, the SEA-EYE 5 crew rescued 17 people in the Mediterranean Sea. One person’s condition was so critical that the crew requested a medical evacuation. A helicopter then took this person to hospital in Malta for urgent treatment.

“The health condition of most of the rescued persons was stable; some were seasick. One person had inhaled too much fuel, which caused their blood oxygen level to drop too low. We provided them with oxygen and treated them for dehydration. Their condition was too critical to keep them on board for a longer period of time, so we requested an evacuation,” reports Dr Nour Hanna-Krahl, the emergency doctor from German Doctors on board the SEA-EYE 5.

About three hours after the helicopter operation, the health condition of a second rescued person deteriorated. The crew therefore requested another medical evacuation. An Italian coast guard vessel took the person on board and brought them ashore in Lampedusa so that they could receive immediate medical treatment.

Following the mission, the Italian authorities designated the port of Vibo Valentia for the SEA-EYE 5, located approximately 400 nautical miles from the location of the rescue. After an almost 30-hour journey, the 15 rescued people were able to safely go ashore late Friday evening.

This has been the second rescue operation for the SEA-EYE 5 during this mission. 14 people had been brought to safety on board the all-weather lifeboat on Saturday morning (19 July) and disembarked at the designated port of Reggio Calabria on Sunday evening.