Libyan Coast Guard Incident: Migrants’ Terrifying Ordeal
A Libyan coast guard vessel collided with a rubber dinghy, carrying around 50 migrants, just off Libya’s coastline on Friday. The impact partially sank the dinghy, plunging many of its occupants into the Mediterranean Sea. They were forced to swim to safety on another Libyan ship nearby, according to a rescue group’s account.
This incident marks the latest in a series of dramatic sea interceptions by the Libyan coast guard, an organization supported by the European Union to curtail the influx of migrants into Europe. In recent years, Libya has emerged as a pivotal transit point for those in search of a better life in Europe.
A video released by the German sea rescue group Sea-Watch portrays the moment the Libyan coast guard vessel approached the dinghy, resulting in the majority of those on board being thrown into the water. Subsequently, Sea-Watch reported that the Libyan coast guard transferred the migrants onto another ship, a coast guard frigate.
No Immediate Reports of Fatalities or Missing Persons
As of now, there have been no reports of fatalities or missing individuals in connection with this incident. Sea-Watch, an organization conducting rescue operations in the central Mediterranean, explained that the coast guard had been pursuing the rubber dinghy since early Friday morning before the collision occurred.
Sea-Watch’s rescuers, operating from their twin-engine Seabird aircraft, repeatedly called on the Libyan coast guard to halt their pursuit of the dinghy, as shown in the video.
The footage filmed from the Seabird further depicts the migrants who ended up in the sea swimming towards the nearby frigate, where sailors threw life vests to them. Those who remained on the sinking dinghy were also rescued and brought aboard the frigate. A spokesperson for the Libyan coast guard did not immediately respond to requests for comments.
Incident Occurred 30 Miles North of Zuwara
Felix Wiess, a spokesperson for Sea-Watch, informed The Associated Press via phone that the incident took place approximately 30 miles north of Libya’s western city of Zuwara.
Shortly after the incident, a civilian rescue ship named Louise Michel arrived on the scene and offered to take the migrants aboard. However, the coast guard denied this request.
European Union’s Role in Funding the Libyan Coast Guard
Since 2015, the European Union has been providing funding to the Libyan coast guard as part of its efforts to reduce the flow of migrants from North Africa, heading towards Italian shores.
It’s worth noting that in March, another rescue group, SOS Mediterranee, reported that the Libyan coast guard fired warning shots during their attempt to rescue migrants from a crowded vessel. Additionally, in October 2022, Sea-Watch claimed that the coast guard threatened to shoot down their monitoring plane used to track smugglers and migrant vessels.
Libya, an oil-rich nation, descended into turmoil following a NATO-backed uprising in 2011, which led to the ousting and death of the long-standing autocrat Moammar Gadhafi.
Human traffickers have taken advantage of the chaos in the North African country, smuggling migrants across Libya’s extensive borders and launching them on perilous sea journeys in poorly equipped rubber boats and vessels.
In recent months, humanitarian organizations have alleged that Italy’s hard-line government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, has made it increasingly difficult for them to operate. They claim that the government often redirects their ships to more distant ports after a single rescue, thereby limiting their capacity to save lives.