A Libyan patrol boat opened fire on a rescue vessel in the Mediterranean just days after 42 NGOs sent an open letter to Brussels warning that EU funding was enabling violence. Aid groups say the attacks expose the deadly consequences of Europe’s migration pact with Libya.
Gunfire in international waters
On the night of September 25, Sea-Watch reported that its ship, the Sea-Watch 5, came under live fire from a Libyan patrol boat while rescuing 66 people at sea. The NGO said one person drowned as a direct result of the assault.
InfoMigrants reports,
Sea-Watch stressed that this particular Libyan patrol boat had been given to the Libyan coastguard in 2018 as part of an EU deal signed the previous year, according to which the authorities in Tripoli would be provided financial, technical and material support to intercept migrants and return them, building on another deal signed directly between the Italian and Libyan governments.
The NGO’s spokeswoman Giorgia Linardi said the Libyan attacks were therefore a “direct consequence” of EU migration policies. “It’s unacceptable that the Italian government, and the EU allows criminal militia to fire on civilians,” she added.
Though those on board survived, the NGO later confirmed that one person had been left behind to drown. The crew sent a Mayday relay and alerted authorities, including German federal police.
This is the second such incident in just over a month. On August 24, the SOS Méditerranée rescue ship Ocean Viking was also subjected to heavy gunfire in international waters, shortly after saving 87 people. The NGO reported that “hundreds of bullets” had been used against them.
EU funding “culture of impunity for violence”
The latest assault came just one day after dozens of civil society organizations sent an open letter to the European Commission demanding an end to its financial and technical support for Libyan forces.
Amnesty International, Médecins Sans Frontières, ActionAid, and SOS Méditerranée were among the signatories. They warn that EU assistance has “enabled and legitimised abuses.” The groups pointed to repeated reports of violence, as well as a ruling from the EU Ombudsman that the Commission had engaged in maladministration by refusing to disclose assessments of its Libya programs.
Euro News reports that,
“Signatories claim a long record of incidents of violence during interceptions carried out by the Libyan Coast Guard against boats in distress, and accuses Libyan officials of overseeing a “culture of impunity for violence.”
The NGOs called on Brussels to suspend cooperation with Libya in search and rescue operations. And instead, establish a European-led program to ensure safe routes for people escaping the country.
But the European Commission dismissed the appeal. “This is what we have been doing and we keep on doing at different level, and this is our policy for now,” spokesperson Guillaume Mercier told reporters.
Since 2015, the EU has allocated more than €500 million for migration management in Libya. First through its Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, and now through the Global Europe instrument. Much of that support, critics argue, has empowered militias operating under the banner of the Libyan coast guard.
What will it take for the EU to end its complicity?
Gunfire against rescue ships, drownings in international waters, and the outsourcing of border control to armed groups all point to a stark truth: Europe’s partnership with Libya is costing lives. Brussels’ insistence on doubling down, despite overwhelming evidence of abuse, leaves the EU complicit in practices that amount to trafficking and attempted murder.
The Libyan coast guard has long been documented committing abuses against migrants, including detention, torture, and forced labor. Despite this, the EU has continued to fund and train Libyan authorities as part of its migration deterrence strategy. The Freedom United community has repeatedly raised the alarm that this cooperation facilitates human trafficking and forced labor.
The EU must end its complicity in trafficking and violence. Partnering with known abusers is not migration management — it’s state-enabled exploitation. Join our call to end cooperation with Libya.
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