Malta allowed Libyan coastguard vessels to operate inside its search and rescue (SAR) zone on at least 16 occasions during the first half of the year, activists have said according to Times of Malta newspaper, raising fresh concerns over alleged violations of international maritime and human rights law.
According to data published by the Malta Migration Archive, Maltese authorities permitted Libyan vessels to enter their SAR zone between January and June, leading to a sharp rise in what activists describe as “forced pushbacks” of migrant boats to Libya.
The archive reported 242 distress calls involving more than 10,000 people within Malta’s SAR zone during that period, with Malta responding directly to only two cases.
Activists said the decision to allow Libyan coastguard operations inside Malta’s rescue zone marked a significant escalation compared with previous years. The number of such incidents was more than double that recorded in the same period last year and eight times higher than in 2023.
The archive said around 800 people were forcibly returned to Libya during the first six months of last year alone. It described the practice as illegal under international law, stressing that states are obliged to assist vessels in distress and ensure disembarkation at a place of safety.
Human rights groups have long criticised the Libyan coastguard, describing it as a loose network of armed groups accused of serious abuses. Migrants intercepted and returned to Libya are often transferred to detention centres, where international organisations have documented cases of torture, sexual violence, forced labour and arbitrary detention.
Activists cited a February case in which a distress call was received from a boat south of Malta, but Maltese authorities allegedly failed to respond for two days. The passengers were later intercepted by the Libyan coastguard and returned to Libya.
Campaigners warned that Malta’s declining rescue response and growing reliance on Libyan interceptions represented a dangerous shift in Mediterranean migration policy, with severe consequences for migrant safety.