Libyan coastguard stops NGO boats from rescuing migrants

Two non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have reported that the Libyan coastguard prevented their rescue ships from approaching migrant boats in distress.

On 6 May, the NGO ship Aquarius, chartered by SOS Mediterranée and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), was informed by the Italian coastguard of a boat in distress off the coast of Tripoli, according to an AFP photographer on board.

The Italians also alerted the Libyan coastguard who then banned the NGO ship from approaching the boat and ordered it to move away when migrants jumped into the water to avoid being returned to Libya.

“Despite the fact that there were more people in the water, our offers of assistance were repeatedly ignored. We were instead ordered to move away,” a spokesperson from the NGO said.

Sea Watch, another humanitarian rescue NGO, said that on 5 May, a boat with 37 migrants aboard was in distress about 24 kilometres off the Libyan coast.

Sea Watch reported that two rubber dinghies were taken by the Libyan coastguard, adding that its rescue crew were told to leave the area.
“We are asking for the right to save lives,” Sea Watch said.

The Libyans also approached the Astral, a boat chartered by the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms.

Riccardo Magi, an Italian MP who was aboard the Astral, accused the Libyans of being uncooperative.

According to Magi, the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Rome sounded an alert at 5 a.m. on 6 May requesting all ships in the area to come to the aid of a sinking boat. The Centre then announced that the Libyan coastguard had taken over control of the rescue operation.

Magi said a Libyan patrol boat came close to the Astral and asked the crew if there were any migrants aboard, when they said no, the Libyans ordered the Astral crew to leave saying, ‘this is a job that we’re supposed to do.’”

“The Libyans act like pirates in international waters, demanding that their authority be recognised. They are acting outside of the law and they are doing it with vessels provided by the Italian government,” he said on Twitter.

Magi also said that they called the Libyan coastguard several times, but they never received a response. “Only at the end of the intervention did the Libyan coastguard contact us to let us know how the operation had gone.”

The Libyan navy later announced it had rescued more than 300 migrants when three boats were intercepted off the coast of its western districts, and reported one dead and three missing.

Coastguard spokesman General Ayoub Qassem warned that tensions between the Libyan coastguard and NGO rescue boats could worsen if NGOs continued to approach boats in distress.

The Libyan coastguard has previously accused NGOs of causing panic and confusion by their presence during rescues as the migrants jump in to sea hoping to be rescued by the NGO boats to avoid being taken back to Libya’s detention centres.

In July 2017, Qassem had said that rescue NGOs were violating Libya’s sovereignty and are obstructing the agreements with the EU that have benefits for Libya regarding cutting off the influx of illegal immigrants.

Photo credit: Anthony Jean/ SOS Méditerranée. The rescue ship Aquarius watches as people jump into the water after the Libyan navy ordered it to move away from the rescue area.

TMP – 25/05/2018