Sea-Watch representative Giulia Messmer described the event as part of increasing aggression.
“In recent weeks, violence in the central Mediterranean is rising… this is certainly not an isolated event,” she told POLITICO.
Sea-Watch noted that a Corrubia-class patrol vessel, identified as Libyan, instructed the Sea-Watch 5 to head north, an action that would disrupt the rescue. When the crew did not comply, the patrol vessel fired, according to the organization.
The NGO sent a distress signal, and a Frontex surveillance aircraft later confirmed the Libyan vessel following eight nautical miles behind, as per Sea-Watch. The Italian-made vessel involved was provided to Libya in 2018 as part of an EU-supported initiative to reduce irregular migration, notwithstanding recurrent human rights abuse claims.
This event is similar to an attack on August 24, when the rescue ship Ocean Viking, managed by the French NGO SOS Méditerranée, faced gunfire from a Libyan patrol boat funded by EU resources through Italy’s SIBMMIL program, leading to a significant political dispute in Italy and abroad.
Friday’s event happened just two days after the European Commission defended ongoing collaboration with Libya, following multiple NGOs’ request for Brussels to halt relations.
“What more does the European Commission need to cease its support for this reckless, unaccountable force?” Judith Sunderland, Associate Director of Human Rights Watch, questioned on Friday.
“We perceive no genuine commitment to Europe’s declared values and will continue to challenge the current political stance, which offers no protection to European citizens or individuals entitled to seek asylum in the EU,” Messmer stated.
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