POPE LEO XIV IN LAMPEDUSA: THE MESSAGE OF SURVIVORS AND CIVIL SOCIETY FROM THE BORDER

Six organisations are convening a press briefing on the occasion of the Pope's visit to Lampedusa to alert about the situation at the world's deadliest border and the consequences of European migration policies and the new Pact on Migration and Asylum. 

The event will center on reports by Ragazzi Baye Fall and Refugees in Libya, self-organised initiatives founded by people with lived experience of displacement and related violence and repressions.
The upcoming papal visit might draw only fleeting attention to the situation in the Central Mediterranean. Ragazzi Baye Fall, Refugees in Libya, Mediterranean Hope – Federazione delle Chiese Evangeliche in Italia (FCEI), Maldusa, Resqhip, and Sea-Watch, thus, are putting the stark reality of the border regime on the agenda. Drawing from their own lived experiences of flight and daily on-the-ground solidarity with people on the move, the representatives will expose the ongoing systemic injustices that are often overlooked. Speakers will outline as well recent developments at the arrival pier, Molo Favaloro, following the enforcement of the European Union's (EU) New Pact on Migration and Asylum.
Refugees in Libya will speak on behalf of people on the move in Libya and Tunisia, drawing international attention to the system of violence and abuse faced by people fleeing these countries. Their intervention will be followed by Ragazzi Baye Fall, a self-organised initiative of the Senegalese and Gambian diaspora advocating for the rights of so-called "boat drivers", who are systematically criminalised and prosecuted under the pretext of combating human trafficking. Maldusa and Mediterranean Hope-FCEI will focus on the repercussions of the new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, particularly the implementation of accelerated border procedures, within the broader context of the increasing externalisation and militarisation of migration control. Representatives of the search and rescue organisations Resqship and Sea-Watch will also be present.

"To Pope Leo XIV, the media, and civil society in Lampedusa, we ask you to look beyond the shore. For many people, the border does not begin in Lampedusa; it begins in Libya, in detention, in fear, in interceptions at sea, and in agreements that turn violence into migration management," says Naeima Yaqoub, Co-founder and President of Refugees in Libya. "Europe must choose protection, dignity, and life over containment."

Following the three introductory remarks (delivered in both Italian and English), there will be ample time for questions and one-to-one interviews with representatives of the participating organisations.
Following the three brief opening remarks, in Italian and English, there will be opportunity for questions, individual interviews and statements by the representatives in attendance.

• ● Date / Time: 3 July, 2026, at 6 PM
• ● Location: Agricola 'Mpidusa, Contrada Imbriacola (near the Hotspot)

Speakers:

• ● Naeima Yaqoub, Co-founder and President, Refugees in Libya
• ● Seck Baye Fall, Coordinator, Ragazzi Baye Fall Lampedusa
• ● Edoardo Avio, Coordinator, Maldusa
• ● Francesca Saccomandi, Field Coordinator, Mediterranean Hope–FCEI

Alongside the interventions of the main speakers, representatives from the co-organising associations Resqship and Sea-Watch Merle Dammhayn e Giorgia Linardi will be also available for questions and interviews.
Media Contacts:

• ● David Yambio, Refugees in Libya: +393515136619, yambio@refugeesinlibya.org 
• ● Cheick Baye Fall, Ragazzi Baye Fall: +393895543249, ragazzibayefall@gmail.com 
• ● Edoardo Avio, Maldusa:+39 3517635899, info@maldusa.org 
• ● Francesca Saccomandi, Mediterranean Hope: +39 371 543 4697, mh.lampedusa@fcei.it

• ● Merle Dammhayn, Resqship: +39 331 4218860, press@resqship.org

• ● Luca Faenzi, Sea-Watch: +39 338 836 4299, italy-office@sea-watch.org