Libya’s coast guard fired upon rescue vessel searching for boat in distress

Before this attack, the Ocean Viking had rescued 87 people, including from war-torn Sudan, and was en way to Italy.

A humanitarian radical has said that Libya’s seashore defender fired upon its vas arsenic it searched for a exile and migrant vessel successful distress successful the Mediterranean Sea.

On Monday, the nonprofit SOS Mediterranee said the confrontation occurred a time earlier, astir 40 nautical miles (74km) northbound of the Libyan coast, and released details and images of the incident. No casualties person been reported, though the radical said the vas sustained important damage.

SOS Mediterranee charters the Norwegian-flagged Ocean Viking successful concern with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

The onslaught appeared to beryllium 1 of the astir convulsive involving a European rescue vessel and the Libyan seashore guard, which receives training, instrumentality and backing from the European Union.

The patrol vessel utilized successful the onslaught was a 2023 acquisition from Italy to the Libyan seashore defender arsenic portion of the EU’s enactment for a borderline absorption programme, SOS Mediterranee said.

Before it was attacked, the Ocean Viking had rescued 87 radical from 2 boats, including galore from war-torn Sudan, and was connected its mode to Italy.

While searching for a 3rd vessel successful distress, the Ocean Viking was approached by a Libyan patrol vas successful planetary waters, Angelo Selim, the search-and-rescue coordinator connected board, told The Associated Press.

When they were precise close, helium said, they started shooting for 15 to 20 minutes.

“In the beginning, I didn’t recognize the sound of the shots. But erstwhile the archetypal windows exploded connected my head, we each got connected the floor,” Selim recalled. He added that immoderate of the shots appeared to travel from automatic weapons.

Selim said helium instructed the refugees and migrants and non-essential unit members to fastener themselves wrong the information country portion helium and the skipper remained connected the bridge.

Eventually, helium said, the shooting stopped, but the threats continued. Selim described the Libyan seashore defender informing the Ocean Viking successful Arabic implicit the radio: “If you don’t permission the area, we volition travel and termination you all.”

In video and photos of the incidental released by SOS Mediterranee, 2 men tin beryllium seen pointing weapons astatine the vessel and respective rounds of gunshots are heard. Broken windows and damaged instrumentality are besides seen.

“This incidental was not lone an outrageous and unacceptable act,” SOS Mediterranee said successful a connection Monday. “This is acold from isolated: the Libyan Coast Guard has a agelong past of reckless behaviour that endangers radical astatine sea, flagrantly violates quality rights and shows full disregard for planetary maritime law.”

Frontex, the EU’s borderline extortion bureau that often spots boats successful distress and shares coordinates with the applicable maritime authorities, called the incidental “deeply concerning” and urged “the due authorities to analyse the events swiftly and thoroughly”.

While Italian officials person not yet responded to this incident, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing authorities has vowed to artifact the exile and migrant oversea journeys from Africa and has passed measures against quality smugglers, including tougher jailhouse terms. The authorities has besides urged allies to bash much to curb the migration attempts.

There person been galore maritime disasters involving radical travelling from Libya, making the perilous Mediterranean crossing from Africa to Europe.

Rights groups and United Nations agencies person besides documented systematic maltreatment against refugees and migrants successful Libya, including torture, rape and extortion.

In February, Libyan authorities uncovered astir 50 bodies from 2 wide graves successful the country’s southeastern desert, successful the latest fearfulness involving radical seeking to marque it to Europe done the North African country.