Libyan naval forces rescue migrants off Tunisian coast
epa05328920 A handout picture released by the Italian Navy shows people jumping out of a boat right before it overturns in Canal of Sicily off the Libyan coast, 25 May 2016. The Italian navy says it has recovered five bodies from the overturned migrant ship. Over 550 migrants on board were rescued safely. EPA/ITALIAN NAVY / HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES
35 migrants have been rescued in a mission conducted by the Libyan Zuwara Naval Operations Force close to the Tunisian border, according to Africanews on September 19th.
The force released footage of the migrants on rescue boats before receiving treatment on land. Among the survivors were five women and a child, according to the Naval authority in the western town of Zuwara, which is under the control of the Tripoli-based government.
Libya is a key hub for migration flows from the African continent across the Mediterranean into Europe for those fleeing conflict and poverty.
Recently, Libya has agreed on deals on maritime borders with a host of EU member states who are concerned about irregular migration into the continent, including Greece and Malta.
However, these deals have been struck with both sides of Libya’s divisive political terrain, with the eastern rival administration affiliated with Khalifa Haftar edging closer to Greece, whilst talks with Malta have encompassed the Tripoli-based, UN-backed Government of National Unity.
These diplomatic ties underscore the significant instability Libya has experienced, which has exacerbated the migration crisis.
On September 14th, a boat carrying Sudanese refugees fleeing conflict caught fire off Libya’s coast, leaving at least 50 people dead. Medical support was given to 24 survivors.
Libya continues to grapple with a humanitarian crisis regarding migration, with 434 migrants having been reported dead and 611 missing off Libya over the past eight months, according to the Missing Migrants Project.
As a response, Libya has been clamping down on human trafficking networks, which has resulted in the recent arrest of ten suspects involved in manufacturing boats used for illegal migration across the Mediterranean.
Eastern Libyan authorities have further targeted undocumented migrants despite concerns from international partners over human rights abuses, arresting suspected illegal migrants in Benghazi in an attempt to curb the vast networks of human trafficking and organised crime linked to migration.
Africanews, Maghrebi.org, Libya Review
Want to chase the pulse of North Africa?
Subscribe to receive our FREE weekly PDF magazine
