Libyan coastguard kills four suspected people smugglers

TMP – 19/04/2017

The Libyan coastguard engaged in a heavy exchange of gun fire with a group of suspected people smugglers on 6 April. Four of the suspected smugglers were killed, according to a statement released by the coastguard’s spokesperson Ayyub Qassem.

Qassem said that the clash started when the coastguards tried to apprehend heavily armed gunmen, whose boat was located near a migrant vessel close to the city of Zawiya, about 45 km west of Tripoli.

“The coastguard boat detected the gunmen’s boat by radar during a patrol,” Qassem said. “The gunmen were asked to stop but they refused to follow the rules, which means most likely they were smugglers of illegal migrants. They opened fire at the patrol. The coastguards fired back too.”

According to the spokesperson, four smugglers were killed, two of the suspected smugglers were arrested and one went missing. A German journalist traveling with the coastguard’s boat also suffered a minor injury..

On 23 January this year, the EU pledged to step up training and to equip Libya’s coastguard to crack down on people smuggling. As a result, the country’s coastguard is becoming much better at intercepting and bringing back boats carrying illegal migrants.