Sea-Watch is a German NGO that operates in the Mediterranean, deploying reconnaissance aircraft and rescue ships to save people at sea. In the news, it is under scrutiny for its rescue operations near Libya after clashes with Libyan authorities and ongoing debates over migrant policy in Europe.
Sea-Watch 5 has rescued about 90 migrants and is now reporting live-fire contact with Libyan coast guard vessels north of Libya. Crew say shots were fired at close range, with orders to stop. The incident follows a pattern of NGO-vessel confrontations in the Central Mediterranean and prompts renewed scrutiny of EU-Libya migration cooperation.
Pope Leo XIV has visited Lampedusa on 4 July to honor migrants and urge Europe to implement a comprehensive plan to receive, protect and integrate migrants while calling on the United States to uphold immigrant rights on its independence anniversary. He also highlighted the ongoing migrant tragedy in the central Mediterranean, where thousands have died or gone missing this year.
Three years after the EU-Tunisia Memorandum of Understanding, rights groups say the pact has intensified border controls and serious human rights violations, amid calls to suspend the agreement and reassess safeguards. Reports detail intercepted departures, abuses, and restricted asylum access, with EU funding tied to Tunisian authorities.