Libya Rescues 279 Migrants at Sea, but 100 More Are Feared Dead
10, 2018
TRIPOLI, Libya — The Libyan Navy said on Wednesday
that its Coast Guard had rescued at least 279 migrants off the coast of Libya, but that about 100 more were missing and feared dead.
The flood of migrants across the Mediterranean over the past few years has prompted the European Union to take numerous measures, including training
and equipping the Libyan Coast Guard to stop boats from trying the sea crossing.
The United Nations migration agency estimates that more than 3,100 migrants died while trying to cross the Mediterranean
in 2017, a number attributed to smugglers’ use of small dinghies and other poor-quality vessels.
But the Libyan authorities — under pressure from Italy, where many of the migrants enter Europe — have recently stepped up efforts to stem their flow.
But rights groups fear that the measures could also leave tens of thousands of people stranded
in Libya, where migrants have described starving in detention centers and suffering abuse.
Such measures helped bring down the numbers of migrants crossing to Europe by more than half in 2017 compared with the previous year.