Migrant Offshore Aid Station group suspends work off Libya to help Rohingya at Bay of Bengal
A Malta-based humanitarian group that has been rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean for three years is suspending operations after months of rising tensions with Italian and Libyan authorities.
The Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) will instead sending its rescue ship, Phoenix, to the Bay of Bengal to take aid to Rohingya Muslims who have fled violence in Myanmar for Bangladesh, co-founder Regina Catrambone said.
MOAS is the fourth group to stop patrols for migrants trying the deadly Mediterranean crossing in the past month.
Last month, Doctors Without Borders followed by Save the Children and Germany’s Sea Eye all suspended operations. They said their crews could no longer work safely because of the hostile stance of the Libyan authorities.
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