New Italian government closes ports to NGO ships

Italy government on Friday has adopted a measure formalizing the closure of its ports to rescue ships run by humanitarian groups as four vessels with more than 1,000 migrants continue to push for access to a safe port.

The Interior Minister said that it will allow a German migrant rescue ship to arrive in Sicily to evacuate minors and those with medical emergencies, but that the ship must then return to international waters with the rest of the migrants.

The move came after France and Germany asked Italy government to grant a safe port to more than 1,000 people rescued by humanitarian groups in the central Mediterranean, some of whom have been stuck at sea for more than two weeks.