21 March 2025 – At 23:00 on 20 March, the 35 people rescued by EMERGENCY’s search and rescue ship Life Support disembarked in the Italian port of La Spezia. The rescued people had been travelling on an overcrowded dinghy that was taking on water, and were brought to safety on Monday 17 March with a rescue operation in the international waters of the Libyan SAR zone.
“We arrived in La Spezia after more than three days of navigation, in which the weather conditions were not always favourable, with high waves and strong winds,” commented Domenico Pugliese, Captain of Life Support. “The disembarkation concluded without any difficulties, thanks to cooperation with the authorities. Finally, the people we rescued are safe on land. As we prepare for the next mission, we can only wish them all the best in the future.”
The rescued people, including a woman and six children, five of whom were unaccompanied, had left from the Libyan coast. Most have origins in Sudan, a country engulfed in war for nearly two years. EMERGENCY remains present in Sudan with the Salam Centre for Cardiac Surgery in Khartoum, where it has provided free operations to more than 10,000 cardiac patients from 33 different countries. The NGO also continues to provide paediatric assistance in its centres in Khartoum, Nyala and Port Sudan, and cardiological examinations at clinics in Atbara, Kassala and Geddaref.
“In the time it took to reach the port of disembarkation, we had the opportunity to listen to the testimonies of many rescued people fleeing the war,” says Chiara Picciocchi, a Cultural Mediator on board Life Support. “One young man from Sudan told us that he had left his village to reach Khartoum, where he had begun attending university. But then the clashes and violence of the current war became more and more widespread, his father was tortured, and he decided to leave so his life wouldn’t be at risk. From the capital, he walked to Egypt, then continued to Libya, dreaming of Europe. He attempted the Mediterranean crossing three times: the first time, the boat was intercepted by the so-called Libyan Coast Guard and he ended up in jail; the second time they were forced to turn back due to the weather; the third time, it was a frightening journey but he was rescued by Life Support. He confirmed to us that, despite the dangers, the risk of a sea voyage is still preferable to the hardships and experiences in Libyan prisons.”
Another Sudanese man on board recounted his experience: “I left my country when the war reached my hometown, in central Sudan. There was no future for me there, no security. I had no choice but to leave. Like many others, I fled to Libya through a long and brutal journey, then managed to find some work at an electricity company where I stayed for three months. But Libya was no better than Sudan: for an immigrant, walking around the city puts your life at risk. People attack immigrants in the streets, rob them, treat them like less than nothing. Then things got even worse. A few days before my departure, there were protests against immigrants. People were shouting that we were taking away their jobs, that we were taking away their future. The racism was unbearable, I knew I couldn’t stay.”
“The journey across the sea was terrifying,” he continues. “I cannot find the words to describe how I felt on that tiny boat of only six metres, with more than thirty people. Everyone around me had lost hope. The risk was enormous, but for me life in Sudan was no better than the dangers of the open sea. I was not afraid. I still had hope. When we saw a boat approaching, there was panic: we thought it was the [so-called] Libyan Coast Guard, ready to catch us and send us back to hell. But then we heard a voice, the Arabic accent was not Libyan. At that moment we realised we were being rescued.”
With last night’s disembarkation, Life Support concluded its 29th mission in the central Mediterranean. EMERGENCY’s SAR ship has been operating in the region since December 2022, rescuing a total of 2,486 people.