[WATCH] MOAS is lesson to Europe - Busuttil

PN leader Simon Busuttil praises MOAS initiative • Video by Ray Attard

Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil has praised the initiative taken by the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) in launching its own Mediterranean rescue and treatment mission, saying that civil society was giving a lesson to Europe and the world at large about how it should deal with African migration.

Busuttil was speaking shortly before the rescue ship the Phoenix, set off for its six-month mission in the Mediterranean.

On board the Phoenix this morning, MOAS Director, former Brigadier Martin Xuereb delivered an address, as Busuttil, Bishop Charles Scicluna and Italian ambassador Giovanni De Vito looked on.

Xuereb said that he felt that the migration issue goes beyond Europe and hoped that the success story has inspired others to do something about this problem. He stressed that civil society had a role to play in saving lives. “What is happening in Africa is not only for Europe to resolve.”

He noted the growing profile of the organisation. “This time last year, MOAS was a non-entity and others had to be convinced of our capabilities, but today it is no longer a paper tiger.”

“Each of us here can attest to the atrocities we have seen,” said Dr. Erna Rijnierse, a doctor with Médecins Sans Frontières, who are providing medical care on board the Phoenix. Speaking to the MaltaToday, Dr. Rijnierse, who has treated people fleeing conflict and natural disasters, including the Central African Republic, Syria, Sudan and Iraq, said that “it is doubly sad that these people are dying at sea, right on the doorstep of reaching safety.”

“The only way you can really help is by getting your hands dirty, not by talking. We fight for every individual life,” said Dr. Rijnierse. Her call to arms was echoed by Will Turner, MSF’s emergency coordinator. “Last week 800 people died at sea, but the narrative focused on smugglers and border control,” he said. He added that he hoped that the EU would assume its responsibility and deploy search and rescue missions to avoid loss of life at sea.