Maltese Home Affairs Minister, Byron Camilleri said that the Maltese government was being criticised daily for collaborating with the Libyan Coast Guard.
“I sincerely believe that this is the best solution to save lives,” he told the Malta Independent on Sunday, when speaking about the migration situation in the Mediterranean.
Malta’s cooperation with Libya has been criticised in the past, not just by NGOs, but also by the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, who declared that Libya was not a safe port for disembarkation.
Camilleri said that “there are many concerns as to the safety of Libya for migrants.” He noted that Malta had received support from other EU member states over the past years, both in terms of relocations, as well as with returns.
“We started noting that even human traffickers from Libya began changing their routes to avoid Malta, when Malta made great efforts for those who are abusing the system to be returned to their country of origin,” he added.
“From 2014 to 2020 Europe has spent more than €500 million Euros ($565 million) on programs in Libya, mainly related to migration and border management,” Henrike Trautmann, an official at the European Commission’s directorate for neighbourhood and enlargement policies said in February 2022.
Last month, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that European Union drones are helping Libyan forces intercept boats carrying migrants in the Mediterranean.
The drones, operated out of Malta, play a “crucial role” in detecting boats leaving Libya. This information is gathered by the EU’s border agency, Frontex, who then contacts the Libyan Coast Guard, it explained.
“Frontex claims the surveillance is to aid rescue, but the information facilitates interceptions and returns to Libya … (Despite) overwhelming evidence of torture and exploitation of migrants and refugees in Libya,” HRW said in a statement.
War-torn Libya is a major launchpad for people fleeing poverty and violence in Africa, and seeking refuge in Europe.