The European Union’s Operation IRINI has reported a significant increase in monitoring activity to enforce the United Nations arms embargo on Libya, highlighting intensified surveillance operations in March.
According to the mission’s latest update, IRINI conducted 754 radio inspections of commercial vessels during the month to verify ship identities, routes, and cargo.
The figure marks a notable increase compared with the previous month, reflecting heightened maritime monitoring efforts across the Mediterranean. Since the mission began in 2020, the operation has carried out more than 22,991 radio inspections of merchant vessels.
The mission also reported a sharp rise in the monitoring of suspicious air traffic connected to Libya. During March, IRINI tracked 62 suspicious flights, an increase of 53 compared with the previous reporting period in February. Meanwhile, inspections involving suspicious aircraft remained stable at 33 cases.
Operation IRINI further confirmed three instances in which suspicious aircraft were diverted during the reporting period, underscoring continued enforcement efforts aimed at disrupting potential embargo violations.
As part of its broader surveillance framework, the EU mission continues to monitor 25 airports and airstrips, as well as 16 ports linked to Libyan transit routes. The operation is supported by 24 European Union member states, reflecting sustained European involvement in efforts to prevent the illegal transfer of weapons into Libya.
The increased surveillance comes amid ongoing international concern over continued arms flows into Libya despite the UN embargo, which remains a central component of international efforts to stabilize the country and prevent further militarization of the conflict.