BRUSSELS: The European Union is determined to go on preventing migrants setting off from the coast of Libya, interior ministers said on Thursday, despite criticism from rights advocates who say the strategy is aggravating human suffering.
After more than two years struggling to stem the flow of refugees and migrants from the Middle East and Africa, the EU is now showing signs of optimism that it is finally in control.
A 2016 deal with Turkey effectively closed one major migratory route and this year Italy has led the EU’s efforts to curb sea crossings from Libya, supplying money, equipment and training for Libya’s border and coast guard, and striking deals with local groups in control on the ground in a country still largely lawless after the 2011 death of Muammar Qadhafi.
Mediterranean crossings have dropped from nearly 28,000 people in June to below 10,000 in August, according to UN data. Sources said late last month a new armed group on Libya’s coast was stopping migrant boats from leaving.
Human rights groups decry the EU’s support for Libya’s Prime Minister Fayez Seraj and allied militias who run migrant detention centres they have compared to concentration camps.
Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2017
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