On the occasion of the latest boat disaster in front of Lampedusa the Malian Association for Deportees (AME) has published a declaration together with the Malian leage for human rights an Amnesty International/Mali (see below as PDF). The core concerns are the following:

• We criticize the guilty silence of African governments in the face of these dramas

• We demand that all countries to comply with the right of freedom of movement, which is a recognized universal human right

• We remind all countries of the respect for the principle of equality and dignity

• We call for a mobilization around the question of migration

On November 3, 2013, the AME and the Malian section of Afrique-Europe-Interact organized a commemoration day for the dead of Lampedusa in the district Djelibougou in a public square– with speeches, exhibitions and films. In this context Ousmane Diarra, the president of the AME declared:
“The tragedy of Lampedusa shall never recur ! We ask the North African states to finally stop their complicity with Europe. The European politics of defense is not in line with human rights. Europe has to open its borders – for refugees and for migrants!"