Libyan Gunmen Open Fire on Rescue Ship, Leaving Migrants in Peril

A Libyan Coastguard Patrol Boat Fired Shots at Sea-Watch 5 Crew and Refugees

On May 11, a Libyan coastguard patrol boat fired shots near the German-flagged rescue vessel Sea-Watch 5 while it was sailing in international waters off Libya. The crew and rescued survivors were reportedly “terrified” as they were targeted.

According to Sea-Watch, the shooting began with a single shot followed by a burst of approximately 10-15 further shots without warning. The coastguard then attempted to seize the vessel and force it towards Libya. Thirty crew members from various countries, including Germany, France, and Egypt, were on board, as well as 90 people rescued from a boat in distress.

Yasmin Ibrahim Elzanaty, an Egyptian lawyer who was working as a cultural mediator on the rescue ship at the time, described the incident. She said that despite being the only Arabic speaker on board, negotiations with the attackers did not go smoothly. The coastguard allegedly told them to go to Tripoli and threatened to board the vessel if they refused.

The shooting is part of a pattern of violence by the Libyan coastguard against NGO rescue ships in the Mediterranean. In September, Sea-Watch 5 was targeted by armed men on a Libyan coastguard boat, and in August, an SOS Mediterranee-chartered ship came under fire for 20 minutes.

Italian authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the captain of Sea-Watch 5 for “aiding and abetting illegal migration”. The EU Commission has defended its support for Libya despite the incident, stating that it had prevented further attacks.

Source: Al Jazeera