Denmark “stands ready to assist the Tunisian government,” acting Danish immigration minister Kaare Dybvad Bek said Monday Drivers abandoned four trucks carrying the migrants from Nigeria, Togo, Mali and Ghana with no food or water in the Sahara COPENHAGEN: Denmark on Monday said Tunisia was responsible for taking in 27 migrants who were rescued in the Mediterranean by a Danish-flagged tanker that has not been able to find a European port to accept them, a claim that Tunisia is rejecting. The dispute over who should take in the migrants on the Maersk Etienne is the latest development in Europe’s endless struggle to cope with the tens of thousands taking to the Mediterranean Sea in smugglers’ boats each year to find a safer, better life. More than a month ago, the Maersk Etienne rescued the migrants, including a pregnant woman and a child, from a flimsy fishing boat just before it sank in the central Mediterranean. Its owners, Maersk Tankers, now say food and fresh water are running low on the ship. Despite weeks of talks between Maltese authorities and the company, the 186-meter-long (610-foot) vessel remains stuck in international waters 27 kilometers (17 miles) off Malta with no solution in sight. Denmark “stands ready to assist the Tunisian government,” acting Danish immigration minister Kaare Dybvad Bek said Monday, adding that Denmark is talking with other EU nations about finding a way to safely disembark the 27 migrants. Malta, which had asked the tanker to rescue the migrants on Aug. 4, often balks at taking in rescued migrants. A Tunisian foreign ministry spokesperson said the migrants were not Tunisia’s responsibility, since they left from the Libyan city of Zuwara, capsized off Malta and were rescued by a Danish ship. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the press. The official said the Maersk Etienne had entered into negotiations with Malta but not with Tunisia. The Maltese government has insisted it only asked the tanker to fulfill its maritime obligations to rescue the migrants, noting that the rescue occurred in Tunisia’s search-and-rescue area. “The Danish-flagged vessel was never instructed to proceed to Malta by the Maltese authorities,” it said. Meanwhile, more than 80 African migrants have been rescued from the Sahara desert after they were robbed and left to die by people they had paid to smuggle them to Libya, the UN migration agency said on Tuesday, citing survivors. Drivers abandoned four trucks carrying the migrants from Nigeria, Togo, Mali and Ghana with no food or water about 230 km (143 miles) north of the Sahara crossroad town of Niger’s Dirkou after spotting military vehicles. Three days later, an IOM UN rescue team found the group, which included children, by chance on Sept. 3. Many were dehydrated, injured and in need of immediate medical assistance. Spokesman Paul Dillon told Reuters it was not unusual for smugglers, who tend to take payment upfront from people desperate to reach Europe, to abandon their passengers if they fear they will be intercepted. “Sometimes smugglers return without their passengers. It’s not a rare event,” he said. “They know the consequences of leaving people stranded in the desert. It’s very troubling this disregard for human life.” Since 2016, IOM has helped rescue over 20,000 migrants from the Sahara desert — one of the most perilous parts of the journey for West Africans risking their lives to seek jobs in Europe. The rescue teams have helped 321 people so far this year, excluding the latest group. But sometimes they just find remains. “Past SAR operations have recovered bodies buried in the sand,” Dillon said, referring to joint operations with Niger authorities. “It’s a vast space and there are many, many routes north and we don’t have resources for patrols,” he added. (With Reuters and AP)