[WATCH] Rescued migrants leave Malta for France and Luxembourg

Migrants who were rescued at sea by the NGO Sea Watch 3 and disembarked on the island back in January departed Malta earlier today to relocate in France and Luxembourg

7 February 2019, 4:16pm
by David Hudson

1 min read

People rescued by the Sea-Watch 3 finally disembarked in Malta in January after an ad hoc agreement between nine EU member states, including Malta

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Two groups of rescued immigrants departed Malta earlier today for France and Luxembourg, where they will be relocated.

The migrants disembarked in Malta after a three-week ordeal, during which they were denied a port of safety. Their disembarkation was only allowed after an agreement was reached between Malta and the European Commission on a relocation agreement.

The immigrants were assisted by the local authorities, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and officials from the Embassy of France and the Consulate of Luxembourg in Malta.

This relocation process was the first result of an ad hoc agreement reached between the European Commission and Malta. The redistribution agreement was reached between nine EU countries—Germany, France, Portugal, the Netherlands, Ireland, Romania, Luxembourg, and Italy agreed to share 224 migrants.

READ MORE: Migrant ordeal comes to an end

David Hudson is an IGM press awards (Investigative stories) winner of 2019