CAIRO: A boat carrying 13 Egyptian migrants to Europe has capsized off Libya’s coast, killing all on board except for one person, local authorities and a Libyan group said Tuesday.
Al-Abreen, a group that provides humanitarian assistance to migrants in Libya, said on Facebook that the boat capsized 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of the city of Tobruk on Monday evening.
One migrant survived, according to the group, which said the bodies were recovered and brought to shore.
The Directorate for Combating Illegal Migration in Tobruk also confirmed the incident.
In recent years, the North African nation has become the dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.
Last month, a migrant boat carrying 32 people capsized off the Libyan coast due to engine failure, leaving one person dead and 22 others missing, according to Libyan authorities. The coast guard in Tobruk said nine people were rescued. Al-Abreen said the boat was bound for Europe and was carrying migrants from Egypt and Syria.
Human traffickers have long taken advantage of instability in Libya that escalated after a NATO-backed uprising overthrew and killed longtime leader Muammar Qaddafi in 2011. Traffickers smuggle migrants on crammed, poorly equipped vessels on risky sea trips across the North African nation’s borders, which are shared with six countries.
Last year, 962 migrants died and 1,563 went missing off Libya, the International Organization for Migration said. About 17,200 migrants were intercepted and sent back to Libya in 2023, the organization said.
Boat carrying Egyptian migrants to Europe capsizes off Libyan coast, killing 12
https://arab.news/jeknb
Boat carrying Egyptian migrants to Europe capsizes off Libyan coast, killing 12
- The boat capsized 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of the city of Tobruk
- One migrant survived as bodies were recovered and brought to shore
Arab and Islamic states reject Israel’s recognition of Somaliland
- Israel formally recognized Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state” on Friday
- Saudi Arabia on Friday expressed full support for sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity of Somalia
A group of foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic countries, alongside the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), have firmly rejected Israel’s announcement of its recognition of the Somaliland region within Somalia.
In a joint statement issued on Saturday, the ministers condemned Israel’s decision, announced on December 26, warning that the move carries “serious repercussions for peace and security in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region” and undermines international peace and security, the Jordan News Agency reported.
The statement described the recognition as an unprecedented and flagrant violation of international law and the charter of the United Nations, which uphold the principles of state sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, JNA added.
Israel formally recognized Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state” and signed an agreement to establish diplomatic ties, as the region’s leader hailed its first-ever official recognition.
The ministers reaffirmed their full support for the sovereignty of Somalia, rejecting any measures that would undermine its unity or territorial integrity.
They warned that recognizing the independence of parts of states sets a dangerous precedent and poses a direct threat to international peace and security.
The statement also reiterated categorical opposition to any attempt to link the move with plans to displace the Palestinian people outside their land, stressing that such proposals are rejected “in form and substance.”
Alongside the Jordanian foreign ministry, the joint statement was issued by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, The Gambia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, Turkiye and Yemen, as well as the OIC.
Saudi Arabia on Friday expressed full support for the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Somalia, and expressed its rejection of the declaration of mutual recognition between Israel and Somaliland.
