Libya and Greece begin new naval initiative to tackle migration
The Greek Navy has deployed two naval frigates to patrol the international waters of the Mediterranean around Libya, according to Libya Review on June 30th.
The purpose of the two ships is to block irregular migrant crossings to the Greek islands, such as Crete and Gavdos.
Maghrebi first reported on the announcement of this new initiative on June 23rd, with the Greek Prime Minister stating that the mission will be in collaboration with Libya.
The navy will coordinate with Libyan authorities after spotting a suspicious boat, and intercept them before they enter international search and rescue zones, according to Libya Review.
The Greek naval frigates are too big to directly intercept migrant boats, therefore they will primarily act as deterrence and surveillants using advanced sensors and radars to detect smaller boats linked to the smuggler networks in the Mediterranean.
Migration management is a key international talking point at the moment, especially in the Mediterranean which is a popular channel between Northern Africa and Europe.
An EU delegation which includes migration ministers from Greece, Italy and Malta will be visiting Libya next month to focus on the issue.
Libya in particular is strained by the issue- as well as boarding the Mediterranean sea, the nation shares a border with Sudan. Around 20,000 to 25,000 of those fleeing the violent civil war in Sudan that started in 2023 have entered Libya via Egypt, the war does not show signs of winding down anytime soon.
The EU and the UN are also carrying out security operations in the Mediterranean sea, for example the UN has an ongoing naval operation, Operation Irini, to enforce their arms embargo on Libya.
The decision from Greece to deploy two ships to address rising migration has sparked criticism.
According to the Libya Review, critics have said that if migrant boats are turned around by Greece without being screened properly then the mission will clash with international legal obligations.
Libya Review/Maghrebi
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