The European Union’s support for the Libyan Coast Guard (LCG) is set to deepen with the opening of a new Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in October. This move comes despite widespread documentation of human rights abuses, including forced labor, sexual violence and extortion, by the LCG and in Libyan detention centers.
New center cements EU-Libya cooperation
The MRCC, first announced in 2017, is part of Libya’s efforts to establish its own Search and Rescue (SAR) area off its shoreline. While Libyan authorities claim this will improve their rescue capabilities, human rights groups fear it will only strengthen a system of abuse and exploitation.
According to Open Democracy,
The Libyan Coast Guard isn’t the only questionable actor to receive legitimacy and funding in the name of stopping migration. But in this area, it has become one of the most powerful. The new rescue centre in Tripoli is likely to only cement that position.
The LCG has a troubling record of not responding to distress calls and failing to coordinate with NGO rescue ships. When they do intervene, migrants are often returned to Libya, where they face persecution and abuse.
“Not a safe port”
While the LCG operates with impunity, genuine humanitarian efforts face obstruction. The Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) rescue ship Geo Barents has just been detained for 60 days by Italian authorities for alleged non-compliance with LCG instructions during a rescue operation. This detention comes shortly after a judge had lifted a previous 60-day detention order against the ship, ruling that their night-time rescue of dozens of people had been “urgent and unavoidable.”
Legal experts warn that any activity leading to the disembarkation of rescued individuals in Libya violates maritime law and human rights. Professor Francesca De Vittor of the University of Milan emphasizes that,
“no judge in Italy has ever ruled in favor of a disembarkation in Libya [because] Libya is not considered a safe port.”
Europe’s hypocrisy
The E.U.’s continued support for the LCG, despite overwhelming evidence of human trafficking and modern slavery, exposes the moral bankruptcy of its policies. While Italy is handing millions of Euros over to Libyan authorities propping up a system that perpetuates trafficking, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recently addressed the UN General Assembly, urging global action to defeat modern slavery.
That kind of energy would have been useful two years ago when the Freedom United community was calling on the Italian government not to renew its agreement with Libya.
As Ota Jaksch, an assistant within the Left group in the European Parliament, bluntly states,
“the European Commission is not interested in what could happen in Libya after establishment of a fully operational MRCC Tripoli, as long as people are prevented from entering Europe.”
This new center in Tripoli is not a solution to the Mediterranean crisis; it is a monument to Europe’s willingness to turn a blind eye to modern slavery in the name of border control. It’s high time for the E.U. to confront its complicity in these abuses and develop migration policies that prioritize human dignity and the fight against trafficking over political expediency. Europe has a moral responsibility toward migrants and refugees, and it must do better.
Urge the E.U. to stop
Activists and organizations are urging the E.U. to stop facilitating the enslavement of people in Libya. Join us today – sign the petition.
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