The EU has delivered two more patrol boats to the Libyan Coast Guard in a ceremony in Italy, on Thursday. The step was a part of the European Union’s executive project to support integrated Border and Migration Management in Libya.
The delivery was made despite a series of reports documenting the links between the Coast Guard, and militia groups in the country
The EU project aims to “strengthen the capacity of relevant Libyan authorities in the areas of border and migration management, including border control and surveillance, addressing smuggling and trafficking of human beings, search and rescue at sea, and in the desert.”
The EU delivered two Currubia Class vessels, which were former Italian Finance Guard patrol boats, according to Radio Radicale journalist Sergio Scandura.
The EU was heavily criticised by a United Nations report released in late March, which documented the collusion of the high-ranking staff of the Libyan Coast Guard with traffickers and smugglers, according to EurActiv news website.
According to the report, the latter “are reportedly connected to militia groups, in the context of the interception and deprivation of liberty of migrants.”
According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the first quarter of 2023 was the ‘deadliest’ since 2017, with 441 migrants deaths while attempting to cross the Mediterranean route.
Earlier this month, the Italian Ministry of Interior announced a marked decrease in the arrival rate of unauthorized migrants to Italy, via sea routes in May.
The data showed that Libya overtook Tunisia as the primary transit point for these migrants.
According to the ministry’s data, reported by the Italian NOVA agency, a total of 50,405 unauthorized migrants reached Italy’s shores from the start of the year until June 1st. This figure represents a significant increase of 155.97% compared to 19,692 arrivals during the same period in 2022, averaging 334 arrivals per day.
Interestingly, the data also highlighted that 25,937 unauthorized migrants managed to reach the Italian coast from Tunisia until June 1st. This equates to an average daily arrival rate of 172 individuals, marking a staggering 580% increase from the 3,818 arrivals noted during the same period last year. Notably, this figure significantly surpasses the total arrivals throughout 2022, which stood at 32,101 migrants from Tunisia.
