Episode Summary:

Podcast: New Books Network – People Power Politics
Episode: What is Happening in the Mediterranean Right Now – And Why You Should Care
Date: November 26, 2025
Host: Licia Cianetti
Guest: Jana Saulteg (Mobilization and Advocacy Manager, SOS Humanity)

Main Theme/Purpose

This episode explores the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Central Mediterranean, focusing on the dangerous journey of migrants, the decline in official search and rescue operations, the rise of civil society rescue initiatives like SOS Humanity, and the evolving legal and political obstacles facing such organizations. Through an in-depth conversation with Jana Saulteg, the discussion unveils the realities, challenges, and political dynamics underpinning Mediterranean migration, the role of European states and the EU, and what listeners can do to help.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Mediterranean Rescue Crisis: Scope and Context

• Scale of the Crisis
  • 32,702 documented deaths in the Mediterranean since 2014, with likely many more unrecorded ([03:00]).
  • “It’s actually in the last ten years, it was six people a day, one child included.” – Jana ([02:54]).
  • Includes not only deaths at sea but also in detention centers and the desert, especially in Libya.
• SOS Humanity’s Mission
  • Civilian search and rescue filling the “rescue gap” left after EU/Italian withdrawal post-2015.
  • Rescue operations include immediate medical and psychological aid and documentation of human rights violations.

2. The Withdrawal of State-Sponsored Rescue & Rise of Civilian Response

• Pre-2015 State-Led Efforts
  • Italy’s “Mare Nostrum” program rescued thousands but ended due to lack of EU support ([07:09]).
  • After its termination, death rates among migrants increased.
• Civil Society Stepping In
  • Organizations like SOS Humanity emerged “because still, people [are] dying” ([02:52]).
  • Operations are highly international, covering waters between Libya, Tunisia, Italy, and Malta.

3. Daily Operations and Cooperation Challenges

• How Rescues Happen
  • Crews of 29, including medics and psychologists, conduct search and rescue from vessels like Humanity One ([04:00]).
  • Coordination with organizations such as Alarm Phone and those operating reconnaissance aircraft aids detection.
• Obstacles from Authorities
  • Authorities often fail to comply with maritime law, neglecting or impeding rescue coordination ([09:42]).
  • SOS Humanity and its peers often locate and respond to distress calls independently.

4. Escalating Legal and Administrative Hindrances

• Italian Policies under Meloni Government
  • Recent administrative laws require ships to head straight to a distant “port of safety” after each rescue, blocking multiple rescues ([12:00]).
  • Hefty fines (€60,000) and repeated ship detentions massively reduce time available for rescue work.

    “...36 ships have been detained in the last year since beginning of 2023, 10 alone since this June.” – Jana ([12:57])

  • Detentions caused the loss of over 900 days of rescue activities in a year.

5. The "So-Called Libyan Coast Guard" and EU Complicity

• Who Are They?
  • Jana explains the “so-called Libyan Coast Guard” is an illegitimate actor, often entangled with militias and regularly engages in violence—against both rescue crews and refugees ([15:14]).
  • Dramatic escalation: August 2025, they shot directly at the Ocean Viking—a rescue ship.
  • Despite documented abuses, these actors are equipped, financed, and trained by EU states, particularly Italy ([19:56]).

    “...the boat that the so-called Libyan Coast Guard was driving was actually part of the boats that Italy was giving to Libya.” – Jana ([20:44])

  • EU justifies this as a deterrence policy, based on the idea fewer journeys will mean fewer deaths, which, Jana emphasizes, is not borne out by the facts.

6. The Role of the European Union and "Closed Door" Policies

• EU Asylum Reforms & Externalization
  • Recent EU Asylum reform is expected to tighten procedures and make humanitarian work harder ([23:30]).
  • Financial and technical support to North African states for migration control persist, perpetuating cycles of abuse and the breaking of non-refoulement obligations ([21:57]).

    “This is all accepted and knowingly even supported by the EU and its member states.” – Jana ([17:59])

• Undermining Democracy and Human Rights
  • Collaborations with authoritarian regimes conflict with the EU’s stated value of human rights promotion ([27:48]).

    “With one hand, the European Union is talking about supporting democracy... [with] the other hand financing actors... authoritarian and repressing civil liberties.” – Licia ([27:48])

7. Solutions and the Limits of Civic Action

• Demands and Advocacy
  • Renewing the call for a Europe-led search-and-rescue program and ending deals with Libya and Tunisia.
  • Intensifying documentation and publicity regarding human rights violations.
  • Launching new rescue initiatives: “We will bring out a new ship next year... because there's also a huge rescue gap that we identified.” – Jana ([26:31])
• What Listeners Can Do
  • Stay informed, share information, support SOS Humanity and similar groups financially, or volunteer if possible ([29:01]).

    “First of all, it’s already a good thing to listen, to really deal with this topic because it’s not an easy topic... it helps us a lot already to being able to operate further.” – Jana ([29:14])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Human Cost

  “It’s actually in the last 10 years, it was six people a day, one child included.”
  — Jana ([02:54])

• On Administrative Hindrance

  “36 ships have been detained in the last year since beginning of 2023, 10 alone since this June. There’s kind of a new wave of detentions right now happening. And this means in numbers that we lost more than 900 days of rescue activities since then.”
  — Jana ([12:57])

• On Violence at Sea

  “This attack is the first time that they shot directly at a ship and crew and survivors. So it’s a peak of escalation, as we say.”
  — Jana ([15:14])

• On the EU’s Double Standard

  “With one hand, the European Union is... talking about supporting democracy in a context, global context of authoritarian rights... But then with the other hand, financing actors... authoritarian and are repressing civil liberties also among their own citizens...”
  — Licia ([27:48])

• On Hope and Civic Power

  “...it’s encouraging to know that like there is civil society rescuing loads of people. So I think 130,000 people have been rescued by the whole civil fleet in the last 10 years. And this is something, you know, it’s a huge number of people and it’s an achievement and it’s, you know, people don’t feel left alone.”
  — Jana ([30:11])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Background & Scale – [00:01]–[03:00]
• SOS Humanity’s Operations – [03:00]–[06:48]
• State Withdrawal & Start of Civilian Rescues – [06:48]–[08:36]
• Professionalization and Ongoing Obstacles – [08:36]–[11:16]
• Italian Government’s New Laws – [11:16]–[14:10]
• Libyan Coast Guard and Armed Attacks – [14:10]–[18:46]
• EU and Member State Complicity – [18:46]–[22:54]
• EU Asylum Reform and Future Challenges – [22:54]–[24:48]
• Political Demands and New Initiatives – [24:48]–[27:48]
• Democracy, Authoritarianism, and Migration Policy – [27:48]–[29:01]
• What Citizens Can Do / Civic Action – [29:01]–[30:50]

Conclusion

This episode starkly exposes the reality of the Mediterranean migration crisis: civilians are rescuing people where governments have withdrawn, yet face mounting legal, political, and physical dangers. EU policies, including funding and technical support for dubious foreign actors, prioritize deterrence over human rights. While the struggle is daunting, the civil fleet’s continued presence has saved over 130,000 lives, offering a glimmer of hope and a call to action for listeners to engage, inform, and support.

To learn more or support SOS Humanity:
Find donation links, social media, and further reading in the episode’s show notes.