TRIPOLI: A woman who gave birth at sea was among 93 migrants rescued off Libyan shores as they tried to reach Europe, but six others died along the way, the UN’s migration agency said Saturday.
The survivors were brought back overnight to the port city of Khoms, 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of the capital Tripoli, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Twitter.
“Among them was a woman who gave birth on the rubber dinghy” that had undertaken the perilous Mediterranean crossing, it said.
“Migrants reported to IOM staff that 6 people have died along the journey,” it added.
Libya was thrown into chaos after the overthrow and killing of veteran dictator Muammar Qaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.
Traffickers have exploited the unrest to turn the North African country into a key route for illicit migration toward Europe.
The situation of refugees and asylum seekers in Libya worsened after eastern Libya-based military strongman Khalifa Haftar launched an assault on Tripoli in 2019 and the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Human rights groups have repeatedly criticized the systematic return of migrants intercepted in the Mediterranean to Libya, where they are held in crowded detention centers.
The IOM said those rescued overnight were released after disembarking in Khoms.
The latest operation came just days after French charity boat Ocean Viking, picked up dozens of migrants, including 31 Pakistanis, off the Italian island of Lampedusa after they had drifted from Libya.
Nicholas Romaniuk, who coordinated the mission aboard that vessel, said rescue ships are often out-run by the Libyan coast guard who beat them to intercept migrants and return them to Libya.
Such was the case, he said, with the overnight rescue operation, deploring the lack of coordination.
“We were about an hour and a half from being nearby” when the Libyan coast guard intervened, said Romaniuk.
“There is no coordination, no information sharing for life saving operations. We’re talking about people who were reported to be dying, a newborn baby on board,” he added.
“The fact that, even in this situation, they won’t share information, it’s an absolute disgrace.”
The Ocean Viking, he said, was some 153 nautical miles away from the stricken boat when it received a distress signal.
More than 100,000 migrants tried to cross the Mediterranean last year with more than 1,200 dying in the attempt, according to the IOM.
Six migrants dead, dozens rescued off Libya coast: UN
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Six migrants dead, dozens rescued off Libya coast: UN
- The survivors were brought back overnight to the port city of Khoms, 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of the capital Tripoli
- Traffickers have exploited the unrest to turn the North African country into a key route for illicit migration toward Europe
Syrian authorities bust smuggling ring, tighten border controls
- Smugglers' boat collides with rocks as it attempted to flee pursuing as Coast Guard vessels
- The boat was about to illegally transport passengers from the Syrian coast of Tartus coast to Cyprus
DAMASCUS: Syrian Coast Guard forces have arrested members of a human smuggling network operating in the western town of Tartus, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported Saturday.
Authorities pounced on the smugglers as they were about to transport passengers from the Tartus coast to Cyprus by illegal means, the state media said, citing a statement from the General Authority of Ports and Customs.
"The operation resulted in the arrest of all those involved, including the organizers of the trip," said the report, adding that the smugglers' boat attempted to escape as Coast Guard vessels surrounded it, but collided with rocks.
No details were made available on how many suspects were arrested and how many passengers were rescued. Criminal charges are being prepared against the arrested suspects, SANA said.
New restrictions on commercial transit
In a separate move to regulate trade and border security, the ports and customs authority has issued a new policy restricting truck access at land crossings and seaports.
Commercial trucks will now only be permitted entry for loading or unloading upon presentation of an original receipt from the Ministry of Transport’s freight office.
The transfer of cargo between Syrian and non-Syrian vehicles must now take place strictly within designated customs yards at border crossings.
Trucks passing through Syria in transit remain permitted, provided they are under a mandatory customs escort between entry and exit points.
