Germany’s Sea Watch rescues 100 migrants off Libya

Migrants wait to be rescued by German NGO search and rescue ship Sea-Watch 3 during a search and rescue (SAR) operation in the Mediterranean Sea, off the Libyan Coast, June 17, 2020. (Reuters)

• The dinghy was found 40 kilometers west of Tripoli, several of the migrants, who included women and children, were given immediate medical attention
• Warmer weather and better sailing conditions are expected to lead to a surge in attempts by migrants to reach Italy from Libya

ROME: The German NGO Sea Watch rescued around 100 migrants off of Libya on Wednesday, saying the Libyan coast guard would have turned them back to shore if the humanitarian group had not intervened.
The dinghy was found 29 nautical miles off Zawyia, 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Tripoli, Sea Watch said on Twitter, adding that several of the migrants, who included women and children, were given immediate medical attention.
Left-wing Italian humanitarian group Mediterranea, which also patrols the region in the Mare Jonio, said the Libyan coast guard “captured” another migrant boat earlier Wednesday near Tripoli.
“We had to watch powerless as Libyan militiamen intervened... violating all international conventions by pushing dozens of refugees toward the bombs and the torture they were trying to escape,” Mediterranea said in a statement.
The coast guard vessel sped past the Mare Jonio to reach “a boat that was nearly immobile and therefore in obvious difficulty,” it said.
When the Italian ship reached the dinghy, it was “empty... damaged and deflated, and as usual the engine was already gone.”
The German and Italian rescue ships were allowed to resume operations in the central Mediterranean at the beginning of June after the Italian authorities held them at port for two months citing “technical reasons.”
Warmer weather and better sailing conditions are expected to lead to a surge in attempts by migrants to reach Italy from Libya.