Libyan Coast Guard rescues almost 500 immigrants west of Tripoli
Libya’s coastguard rescued nearly 500 migrants on Tuesday at sea west of the capital Tripoli, a spokesman said, underlining the challenge of trying to slow an exodus from Africa and the Middle East, Reuters reported.
The migrants included people from sub-Saharan countries, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.
“Coastguards rescued early morning today 140 illegal migrants west of Tripoli and another group of 164 migrants were rescued off Sabratha including seven women and six children,” a spokesman for Libya’s naval forces told Reuters.
Later another group of 150 were rescued off Tripoli, according to Reuters.
A plan was agreed in Paris on Monday by four European countries and three African states, including Libya, to support nations struggling to contain the flow of people.
Leaders agreed on the principle of setting up a mechanism to identify legitimate migrants fleeing war and persecution, and to use the United Nations to register them in Niger and Chad so as to prevent them from being exploited by people smugglers, Reuters added.
How to submit an Op-Ed: Libyan Express accepts opinion articles on a wide range of topics. Submissions may be sent to oped@libyanexpress.com. Please include ‘Op-Ed’ in the subject line.
- Analysis: Trump’s presidential campaign and its implications - November 17, 2024
- Tunisian FM: Diplomatic presence ‘falls short of needs - November 17, 2024
- Lebanese Speaker: Ceasefire with Israel ‘more likely than not’ - November 17, 2024