Just over a year ago two boats full of migrants heading from Africa to Europe sank off the Italian Island of Lampedusa, with the loss of several hundred lives. There was an outburst of pity for the migrants, and European officials promised that desperate people would no longer die at sea in their quest for a more secure life.
The result was an admirable search and rescue operation by the Italian navy which – according to the Italian defence ministry – has rescued 150,000 migrants and brought them to a European Union shore where they can apply for asylum.
The navy’s programme, called Mare Nostrum (“Our Sea” – the Latin term for the Mediterranean), did not entirely stop the deaths. More than 3,000 have died this year.
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