“The ships of the civil fleet are the only actors providing assistance in the area off the coast of Libya and Tunisia, where most shipwrecks happen,” said Wasil Schauseil, spokesperson for the Justice Fleet, an alliance of 13 SAR organisations. “Obstructing their work results in more people dying, plain and simple.”

The human toll has intensified in recent months. The first quarter of 2026 was the deadliest since the International Organization for Migration began tracking fatalities in 2014, with more than 825 people recorded dead or missing in just three months.