On Saturday, Benghazi’s Security Directorate managed to thwart an attempt to smuggle 29 migrants on a boat from the Kweifiyah area to Italy.
A statement from the Security Directorate of Benghazi indicated that the Kweifiyah Police Station’s detective unit had received information about a suspicious boat located on the shore of the Kweifiyah Sea in the Ain Ziana region.
Upon receiving the information, a squad led by the station’s head and the commander of the detective unit was dispatched to the boat’s location. On arrival, they apprehended 29 migrants of Bangladeshi nationality on board. Using heavy machinery, the boat was extracted from the site and the migrants were transported to the station. They were then handed over to the appropriate authorities for further processing.
This incident underscores the ongoing struggle against illegal migration efforts across the Mediterranean. Libya, particularly its coastline, has been a frequent departure point for smugglers attempting to transport migrants, chiefly to Italy, in hope of a better life.
In a perilous sea crossing from Libya over the Mediterranean, a total of 117 migrants were rescued by the Spanish humanitarian organisation Open Arms.
This most recent rescue underscores the ongoing crisis as thousands of people from conflict-ridden regions of Africa and the Middle East put their lives in jeopardy annually, fleeing from desperate situations.
Just a week ago, a devastating incident occurred where a shipwreck off Greece claimed at least 78 lives among the hundreds crammed into a fishing vessel. These tragedies draw attention back to the continuous plight of migrants.
Open Arms, sharing details about the rescue operation, reported that the 117 rescued individuals, including 25 women and a toddler, are primarily from Eritrea, Sudan, and Libya. The high-risk rescue operation transpired 30 kilometers offshore of Libya in international waters, following the boat’s stealthy departure from the port of Sabratha at 01:00 GMT.
Upon their rescue, the migrants underwent medical checks aboard the Open Arms ship. The charity has yet to release additional details regarding the migrants’ final destination.
Open Arms is a non-governmental organisation that operates in various areas of humanitarian aid, both nationally and internationally. Its main mission is to protect those people who try to reach Europe fleeing from war, persecution, or poverty. The organisation was born to specialise in surveillance and rescue missions of boats carrying people who need help in the Aegean and Central Mediterranean seas.
The Mediterranean has been a perilous crossing for migrants and refugees trying to reach Europe by sea from Africa and the Middle East. Thousands of people each year undertake this dangerous journey on overcrowded and unseaworthy boats, often provided by smugglers, in an attempt to escape conflict, persecution, or economic hardship in their home countries.