On Wednesday, Virginia Mielgo González, the project coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) for the rescue of undocumented migrants, voiced serious concerns over Italy’s alleged collusion with the Libyan coast guard, which is under the Tripoli-based Government, headed by Abdul Hamid Dbaiba.
This collaboration, she claimed, is aimed at preventing the rescue of migrants stranded at sea, with significant financial backing from the European Union.
In a detailed statement, González shed light on the operations of the Dbaiba government’s coast guard, which, supported by EU funds, has been actively obstructing sea rescue missions.
Despite Libya being widely recognized as an unsafe haven for migrants, Italian authorities persistently direct non-governmental organization (NGO) vessels to liaise with the Libyan coast guard for rescue operations, a move fraught with known perils.
Highlighting a broader issue of complicity, González criticized the European Union and its member states for their efforts to penalize individuals and groups involved in life-saving search and rescue activities.
Meanwhile, these same entities are implicated in the violence associated with forcibly returning thousands of people to Libya each year.
She condemned the EU’s conscious decision to facilitate the forced repatriation of migrants to Libya, where they are subject to severe abuses, including physical violence, sexual assault, and extortion.
González recounted a recent incident on March 15th, where her team observed a deterrence operation by the EU-funded Libyan coast guard in international waters.
The very next day, another patrol vessel, donated by the Italian government to Libya’s coast guard, interfered with an ongoing MSF rescue mission, putting the lives of more than 50 individuals at risk.
Since 2017, the European Union and Italy have allocated at least €59 million to support the Libyan coast guard’s efforts to stem the tide of migrants heading to Europe.
This financial support continues despite extensive documentation of the widespread exploitation and violence migrants endure in Libya, actions that could potentially be classified as crimes against humanity.
Gonzalez urgently called upon Italian authorities to immediately cease obstructing NGO-led maritime aid and rescue operations.
She also appealed to the European Union and its member states to stop all forms of material and financial support to the coast guard of the Dbaiba government and other authorities implicated in human rights violations.
