EU to equip Libyan coast guard

A proposal for the EU to equip the Libyan coast guard to help them control the flow of refugees has been put forward by Malta.

Malta, which has been one of the first destinations for refugees to Europe, holds the current EU presidency. At the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 18 January Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said to MEPs: “Next spring, Europe will face a new heavy influx of migrants through the central Mediterranean.”

“In my mind, there is no doubt that unless the essence of the Turkey deal is replicated in the central Mediterranean, Europe will face a major migration crisis.”

The proposal to train and equip Libyan forces, which was tabled in agreement with European Council President Donald Tusk as a short-term solution for the predicted upsurge in the flow of migrants to Europe, states that: “Libyan forces [would act] as frontline operators, but with strong and lasting EU support.”

Operation Sophia, the EU naval force which controls refugee smuggling in the Mediterranean, does not have the approval to act on Libyan waters, and Joseph Muscat wants Libyan forces to be equipped as a “line of protection much closer to the ports of origin” of smugglers’ boats.

Malta wants last year’s EU-Turkey deal to be replicated with Libya. “Let me not mince my words. I see no way in which one single member state can manage or absorb this further wave. Thus, the essence of the core principles of the European Union will be seriously tested unless we act now,” Muscat said.

The proposal is planned to be presented to EU leaders at their summit in Valetta on 3 February. If agreed, the proposed support could be carried out by the current train and equip programme under Operation Sophia.

The proposal has also raised the possibility of creating agreements with Libya’s neighbours Tunisia and Egypt to further strengthen the crackdown on trafficking networks that stage their smuggling operations from the North African coast.

The proposal hopes that by training and equipping 500 in total, the Libyans will be able to stop smuggling along the country’s coastline including of migrants, weapons, drugs and oil.

The UN-backed Libyan unity government has been struggling to control the country and bring order, while a rival government, rival gangs and ISIS still control much of the country.