German NGO claims Libyan coastguards threatened its vessels at sea, Libyan Navy denies

BY Libyan Express Oct 27, 2019 - 11:27

The ‘Alan Kurdi’ Sea-Eye rescue ship. [Photo: Social Media]

German NGO Sea-Eye said one of its vessels was threatened by masked Libyan security forces who fired warning shots as it rescued 90 migrants from a lifeboat on Saturday, which the Libyan Navy denied in a statement.

The crew aboard the NGO ship, named Alan Kurdi, rescued the migrants after receiving a distress call from people aboard the lifeboat off the coast of Libya.

Sea-Eye spokesman Gorden Isler claimed the Libyan boats arrived as the rescuers were handing life jackets to men and women on a white dinghy off the coast of Libya and began circling the ship, hampering rescue efforts.

He said the masked men fired “warning shots” and pointed mounted guns at the rescue crew and the migrants, some of whom had jumped into the water, before retreating.

Meanwhile, the Libyan coastguards issued a statement following the accusation, denying all allegations by the German NGO, saying nothing like had happened.

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