Protest Erupts in Rome over Italy–Libya Migrant Deal Following Deadly Boat Wreck

Thousands of migrants and human rights activists gathered in Rome on Saturday to protest against Italy’s controversial migration agreement with Libya, following a tragic boat wreck in the Mediterranean that left around 20 people feared dead.

The demonstration came amid growing criticism of Italy’s cooperation with Libya in detaining and returning migrants—an arrangement many say fuels human rights abuses and deaths at sea.

Under a 2017 agreement — renewed under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government — Italy funds and trains the Libyan coastguard.
In return, Libya is tasked with intercepting migrant boats bound for Italy and returning those apprehended at sea to detention centres in Libya.

This contentious deal, due for renewal next month, has long been condemned by humanitarian organisations for contributing to systemic abuse and human suffering.

During the Rome protest, dozens of Sub-Saharan African migrants shared harrowing accounts of their ordeals in Libyan detention.
Participants held a minute of silence for those who lost their lives attempting to cross the Mediterranean.

Activist Sarita Fratini, who assists migrants in legal action against Italy, described the central Mediterranean as a “line of death”: “In the Libyan area, you get captured. In the north, you die because there is no one there.”

Rights groups and former detainees have repeatedly denounced Libyan detention centres for torture, abuse, and sexual violence, describing conditions as “hellish” and inhumane.

Irene Dea, 46, from the Ivory Coast, told AFP she had tried to reach Europe three times. On her first attempt, 12 people died.
After Libyan forces intercepted her boat, she spent six months at the Az-Zawiyah detention centre, notorious for brutality and sexual abuse.

“I saw women being raped with my own eyes,” she said. “You don’t eat… it was total anguish.”

Humanitarian organisations have documented multiple recent instances of Libya’s coastguard firing at migrant boats in the Mediterranean.
Just last week, Alarm Phone, a hotline for stranded migrants, reported that 113 people aboard a boat near Malta came under fire—leaving several dead.

On Friday, Italy’s coastguard launched a search-and-rescue mission after a fibreglass vessel carrying around 30 migrants capsized 50 miles southeast of Lampedusa, within Malta’s rescue zone.

• Survivors: 7 rescued by Italy’s coastguard, 4 by a merchant ship
• Recovered body: 1
• Missing persons: Approximately 20
• Departure point: Al Khums, Libya
• Time at sea before capsizing: Two days

According to Nicola Dell’Arciprete, Italian coordinator for UNICEF, a pregnant woman perished, while several children remain missing. Four unaccompanied minors were among those rescued.

Sea-Watch International and Alarm Phone both condemned the slow response to distress alerts:

“Italy and Malta knew about the boat since yesterday afternoon, thanks to Alarm Phone, but did not send help until it was too late,” Sea-Watch said.

Alarm Phone added: “The boat capsized — we fear about 20 deaths. We cannot express our anger at yet another group consciously being left to die.”

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that over 1,000 migrants have died so far this year attempting the Mediterranean crossing — one of the world’s deadliest migration routes.

As protests intensify in Rome and across Europe, activists demand an end to the Libya deal and the establishment of safe, legal routes for asylum seekers — urging Italy and the EU to replace deterrence with humanity.