EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has again called on EU Member States to relocate EU Sophia ships to the Mediterranean. They are an effective deterrent to smugglers, Mogherini said in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. In addition, the EU must combat the smuggling of weapons and oil to Libya, which is fueling the conflict there.
„I’ve always said that the ships should stay in international waters,“ Mogherini said. She hopes that the EU states will reconsider their decision. The mission helped to reduce the number of refugees coming to Europe by more than 80 per cent. Since the foundation of Mission Sophia in 2015, 45,000 people have been rescued from distress and around 150 people have been arrested.
Mogherini warned that the conflict in Libya could drag on for a long time due to illegal arms deliveries into the country. The renegade Libyan General Chalifa Haftar launched an offensive on the capital Tripoli two weeks ago. He wants to expel the United Nations-sponsored government of national unity from Tripoli.
For the time being, the EU had suspended the rescue of refugees at sea by the Mediterranean mission Sophia in March, even if the naval deployment remains formally. The background is a dispute with Italy over the reception of rescued boat people.
Italy complicates private maritime rescue
Meanwhile, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini continues to speak out against aid organizations rescuing refugees off the coast of Libya from the Mediterranean. On Tuesday he signed a second order for rescue. Thus, the boss of the right-wing Lega party aims primarily on the Italian aid ship Mare Jonio.
The Mare Jonio and other auxiliary vessels must respect the privilege of foreign authorities in the rescue, it says in the statement. Since June 2018, the Libyan Coast Guard is officially responsible for rescuing refugees off the Libyan coast. The Mare Jonio had rescued 49 refugees there in March, while the Libyan Coast Guard was nearby. She took the people to the Italian island of Lampedusa, where the ship was temporarily confiscated.
The auxiliary alliance Mediterranea, which chartered the „Mare Jonio“, called Salvini’s letter „pure propaganda“. An order to hand over rescued refugees to the Libyan authorities would be the instigation of an offense. The auxiliary alliance referred to the ongoing fighting in Libya.
