Politics
15:05, 03-Aug-2017
Italy warship arrives to curb Libyan migrant flow
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An Italian patrol boat with a naval expert team arrived on on Wednesday in Tripoli, Libya's capital to help Libya curb illegal immigration.
The warship entered Libyan waters and headed towards the port of Tripoli immediately after Italian parliament authorizing the deployment. A second vessel was expected to join it in the coming days.
A general view shows four Libyan Coast Guard ships docked in the harbour of the capital Tripoli, following their return after undergoing maintenance in Italy on May 15, 2017. /AFP Photo
A general view shows four Libyan Coast Guard ships docked in the harbour of the capital Tripoli, following their return after undergoing maintenance in Italy on May 15, 2017. /AFP Photo
Libyan navy spokesman, Ayob Qassem confirmed the news and said the aim of this ship is to boost technical cooperation to help Libya's coastguard curb migrant flows.
Italy declared this operation last week claiming it had been based on a request by the UN-backed government in Tripoli. The Italian Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti added that this naval mission would not be a "blockade" preventing migrant boats from leaving.
However, Libyan eastern parliament regarded this naval mission as a "violation to the national sovereignty".
Migrants are rescued by the Aquarius rescue ship run by non-governmental organisations (NGO) "SOS Mediterranee" and "Medecins Sans Frontieres" (Doctors Without Borders) in the Mediterranean Sea, 30 nautic miles from the Libyan coast, on August 2, 2017. /AFP Pho
Migrants are rescued by the Aquarius rescue ship run by non-governmental organisations (NGO) "SOS Mediterranee" and "Medecins Sans Frontieres" (Doctors Without Borders) in the Mediterranean Sea, 30 nautic miles from the Libyan coast, on August 2, 2017. /AFP Pho
Some nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) including Amnesty International also criticized the move arguing the deployment of warships to Libyan would expose refuges more danger.
A few NGOs have dispatched ships to pick up some miserable Libyan migrants since 2015. Italy's coastguard said since this year, NGOs have handled 35% of the rescues.
Libya is a well-known jumping-off point for migrants who want to reach European shores while Italy is the main recipient of those migrants. According to International Organization for Migration, 114287 migrants have reached European shores with 85% Italian arrivals.
It is also reported since this year, 2385 migrants have died because of the dangerous crossing on the central Mediterranean route.
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