Migration in the news

Our rescue ship the Ocean Viking is undergoing repairs after being fired upon by the Libyan Coast Guard on August 24. In the meantime, we’ll be rounding up news stories about migration in and around the Mediterranean. These articles provide more context for our work saving people in distress at sea. To read more about why people are forced flee, click here.

The Guardian: Child dies while reportedly trying to reach UK in small boat (September 28, 2025)
A child is believed to have died while trying to cross the Channel in a small boat, according to French reports. The body of the teenager, who was believed to have fallen from a dinghy, was discovered on a beach in northern France on Sunday.

InfoMigrants: Greece: 145 migrants rescued in 24 hours off Gavdos (September 23, 2025)
Greece’s coast guard says they have rescued 145 migrants south of the island of Gavdos, near Crete. Crete and Gavdos have accounted for over one-third of all migrant arrivals to Greek territory to date this year, according to UNHCR.

The Conversation: The Mediterranean: Both a graveyard and a bottomless money pit due to EU border policies (September 22, 2025)
“In the central Mediterranean, Italy transferred 270 million euros to Libya’s ruling elites by 2021, mainly to bolster the country’s capacity to intercept migrant boats — often detected by Frontex drones surveilling the disputed Libyan rescue zone.”

RFI: More than 100 Sudanese refugees dead or missing in shipwrecks off Libya (September 18, 2025)
“At least 110 people have died or gone missing after two boats carrying mostly Sudanese refugees sunk off the coast of Tobruk, Libya”
[Ed’s Note: Sudan, which has been in a ruthless civil war since April 2023, killing an estimated 150,000 people and leaving 25 million others—more than half the country’s population—in desperate straits]

The Guardian: Videos appear to show people smuggling by state-linked Libyan militia in Mediterranean (September 18, 2025)
“Video footage and photos in the Italian press appear to show for the first time a militia allied with the Libyan government participating in people smuggling in the Mediterranean Sea.”

InfoMigrants: Mediterranean Sea: ‘No one left to check whether boats are sinking’ (September 18, 2025)
“Critics say the strict regulations Italy’s right-wing government imposed on private sea rescue organizations are causing more migrants to die at sea. On board a humanitarian rescue ship, InfoMigrants witnessed what it means when there are fewer crews Patrolling to check whether boats are in distress.”