BERLIN: Five migrants have died as a German nonprofit organization and the Libyan coast guard tried to rescue them from their foundering boat in the Mediterranean, with each side blaming the other for botching the operation.
Germany’s Sea-Watch said Tuesday its rescue ship was helping migrants on the sinking inflatable boat in international waters off the Libyan coast Monday morning when a Libyan coast guard boat also began to simultaneously take migrants onboard.
Sea-Watch said the Libyan coast guard caused panic by “beating and threatening” the passengers, before driving off at high speed with people clinging to the side.
Five people, including a child, were killed and 58 rescued by Sea-Watch.
“Probably, nobody would have had to die today if only we had the possibility to operate reasonably in a calm environment,” said Sea Watch head of mission Johannes Bayer.
“These deaths have to be blamed on the Libyan coast guards who have obstructed a safe rescue with their brutal behavior,” he added.
“European governments finally have to draw conclusions from this incident and stop the collaboration with the Libyan coast guard.”
In response, the Libyan coast guard accused Sea Watch of causing “panic and confusion” among the migrants.
“They all wanted to reach the ship of the German NGO,” spokesman Gen. Ayoub Qassem said.
“Even those who had been rescued and were on the coast guard’s boat jumped in the water to try and reach the Sea Watch boat, which refused orders to leave the area,” he said.
Libyans, Germans blame each other for botched migrant rescue
Libyans, Germans blame each other for botched migrant rescue
Yemen's Prosecutor General forms committee to investigate Aidarous Al-Zubaidi
- Before fleeing Yemen on January 7, Zubaidi used to head the now dissolved Southern Transitional Council (STC)
RIYADH: The Prosecutor General in Yemen issued a decision on Thursday to form a committee to investigate “the alleged acts attributed to Major General Aidarous Al-Zubaidi.”
The committee will investigate Al-Zubaidi for alleged high treason, forming an armed gang, killing military officers and soldiers, exploiting the southern issue, violating the constitution, and damaging military sites.
The committee is authorized to summon and arrest individuals, gather evidence, and take necessary actions according to the law, with a mandate to complete the investigation quickly and provide periodic reports.
Before fleeing Yemen on January 7, Zubaidi used to head the now dissolved Southern Transitional Council (STC), and had a senior position in the Yemeni government at the same time.
Since then, the Yemeni government has stripped him from its membership and referred him to the attorney general, accusing him of high treason.
