Statement on Migrant Boat Capsizing in Tripoli
Another tragedy took the North of Lebanon by a storm on the night of April 23rd in its capital Tripoli after a migrant boat carrying around 60 migrants capsized offshore near the port of Tripoli. Migrants who were actively seeking a better life for themselves and their families met the tragic fate which claimed the lives of several including children. This tragedy comes not as an isolated incident, but as the result of years and years of marginalization which the city of Tripoli and its suburbs continuously experienced on the different developmental, economic and social levels. This pushed many to find such a trip a lot safer than staying in a country which has come to lack any form of livable standards to many of its inhabitants.
The socioeconomic status of the city’s inhabitants, long regarded as among the poorest on the Mediterranean coast by the United Nations, has been further destabilized by the ongoing economic crisis as poverty rates skyrocketed according to several national and international organizations. The capsizing served as further proof of how dire the situation is and how deep the inequality has become with the near absent social security networks provided by the consecutive governments that came to power.
In light of the above, the Standing Committee on Human Rights and Peace of the Lebanese Medical Students’ International Committee (LeMSIC) extends its deepest condolences to the families of those affected by this such heinous crime against the people of Tripoli and its surrounding neighborhoods. More importantly however, the standing committee condemns the continuous and complete disregard of the city’s needs and its inhabitants right to a decent life. It further condemns the inaction of the state to help lift the burden off the people of Tripoli in light of the stifling crisis and calls for a complete revisiting of the policies it has continuously adopted in relevance to the city and its inhabitants.
This incident is not the first of its kind, and it will not be the last if such policies continue and the absence of any social security systems persists, as vulnerable and marginalized communities of Lebanon would see no alternative to escape but through such routes despite the dangers. The committee again extends its condolences to the families of the victims, its support to the families of those who are currently still lost while hoping for a speedy recovery to those injured.
Full solidarity,
Lebanese Medical Students’ International Committee (LeMSIC)
