EU plans to train hundreds more Libyan coastguard personnel to reduce deaths at sea

According to reports by Reuters, the European Union’s mission in the Mediterranean is planning to train up to 500 more Libyan coastguard personnel by the end of 2018.

The naval mission, named Operation Sophia, wants to rapidly expand training of the Libyan coastguard to stem migrant flows to Italy and reduce deaths at sea.

Speaking from Tunis on 15 March, the chief of the EU naval mission in the Mediterranean, Rear Admiral Enrico Credendino, said that the 188 Libyans trained by his mission since 2016 have contributed to a sharp fall in the number of attempted crossings in the latter half of last year.

“The Libyan coastguard has been very active, especially in the second half of 2017.”
He added that the Libyans had saved almost 18,000 lives in 2017, compared to only 800 people in 2015. However, European humanitarian rescue organisations continue to accuse Libya’s coastguard of operating recklessly during rescues and putting migrants’ lives at risk – accusations the coastguard routinely denies.

Commenting about the recent accusations by a UN panel of experts alleging a link between smugglers and the coastguard, Credendino said it was difficult to confirm.
“At sea, there is not only the military coastguard, but there are also militias who are wearing the same uniform, using the same kind of boats.”
“We monitor the Libyan coastguard, observing them at sea. We have airplanes, we have ships that are observing them. And we also have periodic meetings,” he added.

More than 130 alleged smugglers have been arrested at sea and turned over to Italian authorities, but it has not been easy to disrupt smuggling networks inside Libya that continue to act with impunity, out of reach of international authorities.

“We are working with a lot of international actors, Interpol, Europol, Frontex… We are building a picture but it’s too early to make an actual assessment,” Credendino said.

Operation Sophia was launched in 2015 by the EU to disrupt human smuggling, and has been training and equipping the Libyan coastguard since 2016. In July 2017, the EU renewed the mission to continue until the end of 2018.

In addition to those destroyed by the Italian navy, Operation Sophia has so far confiscated and destroyed more than 500 intercepted smuggler boats, according to Reuters.