Almost every day, there are reports of the interception of illegal immigration boats attempting to leave Lebanese territory by sea off the coast of Al-Ariqa in Akkar. The saga of these boats continues, and the tragedies are repeating without the locals learning from the daily stories they witness and hear, throwing themselves, their families, and their children into the sea. They have not taken heed from the tragedy of the boat sinking in Tripoli that broke the hearts of all Lebanese, nor from the squabbling over the case that has thus far prevented the recovery of bodies from the sea.
They have not learned from the back-and-forth operations conducted by the security forces throughout the night in an attempt to apprehend human traffickers. Just one day after the Lebanese Army managed to rescue a boat that capsized less than half an hour after its launch during the early hours of Thursday, while attempting to leave Lebanese territory illegally, they continued to plan their escape. On Friday night, they managed to leave Lebanese territorial waters towards Italy, seeming to disregard death and recklessly putting themselves in danger!
Security measures did not prevent one of the boats from departing Lebanese waters last Friday night, where it was reported that one of the traffickers secured the departure of 65 individuals aboard an unprepared boat. Despite the difficulty of reaching Italian shores, the migrants voiced their cries for help.
The migrants who contacted their families in Akkar seeking assistance for their rescue confirmed that they are stranded in open sea in international waters near the island of Malta, accompanied by children and pregnant women who gave birth on the boat out of sheer fear. They asserted that they had contacted the Italian embassy, but to no avail, and urged Lebanese and Italian authorities to intervene to aid them and prevent their drowning.
The relatives of the migrants, who hail from the town of Babnin, indicated that their situation is extremely dire, with chronically ill individuals suffering fainting spells. They emphasized that difficult circumstances drove them to leave and that there are "facilitations and temptations from brokers to secure their departure, but it quickly becomes clear that these matters are exaggerated and that they are jeopardizing their lives."
In a related context, security sources informed "Al-Akhbar" that "illegal departure operations occur almost daily, especially from the beaches of Al-Ariqa and Sheikh Zannad in Akkar, despite intensified monitoring by security forces and the Lebanese Army. However, the situation is out of control due to the vastness of the coastline and the traffickers' knowledge of all the exits.” They also pointed out that "the recent operation led to the arrest of a person named A. S. from the town of Babnin, and investigations are ongoing to identify the remaining traffickers and brokers."
