The humanitarian organisation SOS Méditerranée, along with seven crew members of its French rescue vessel Ocean Viking, has filed a legal complaint in France over an armed attack by the Libyan Coast Guard in August.
The complaint, lodged on 7 October, accuses unknown persons of “attempted murder,” “destruction of property by an organised gang,” and “complicity with criminals,” according to a statement released by the NGO.
Sophie Beau, SOS Méditerranée’s director, described the incident as “the most serious attack we have faced in ten years” in a video published on Wednesday.
The case follows an incident on 24 August, when the Ocean Viking came under heavy gunfire in international waters off Libya while responding to a distress call after completing two prior rescues coordinated with Italian authorities.
According to the organisation, more than 100 rounds were fired at the vessel and the people onboard — including 34 crew members and 87 rescued migrants — though no one was injured.
In its August report, SOS Méditerranée said a Libyan Coast Guard vessel of the Koropi class approached the Ocean Viking and “illegally ordered us to leave the area and sail north.” The NGO condemned the attack as a grave violation of international maritime and humanitarian law, calling for accountability and protection for humanitarian missions at sea.
The Ocean Viking, operated jointly with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, has rescued thousands of people in the central Mediterranean since 2019.
