In the morning of 3rd of April 2019, the search & rescue ship Alan Kurdi rescued 63 people from an overcrowded rubber boat in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, 20 nautical miles from the Libyan coastal city of Zuwara. I was the medic on board.
The Alan Kurdi is the old German vessel of one of the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) performing search and rescue (SAR) operations in the central Mediterranean. SAR missions in this area are officially assigned to the Libyan coast guard, who responds to the government of Tripoli and operates thanks to training and support provided by European governments. Their mission is to intercept migrants leaving the Libyan coasts and bring them back to Libya’s detention centers, despite the United Nations declaring Libya to be not a safe country of return.
