A group of migrants in danger was violently intercepted in international waters by armed men this Thursday, according to a complaint Doctors Without Borders (MSF). While the rescue ship Geo Barents trying to help people aboard a deflating rubber raft, men in a speedboat, who claimed to be part of the Libyan Coast Guardthey separated 29 women and children at gunpoint and took them to Libya.
The attack included shots into the air that forced more than 70 people to jump into the water. The MSF team rescued these migrants, but the speedboat left the scene with the women and children on board, leaving the remaining men and children in a desperate situation. The survivors recounted beatings and threats by the aggressorswho took the victims’ belongings.
The Libyan Coast Guard had previously communicated with the Geo Barentsrequesting assistance to rescue the migrants and ensuring that they would allow the transfer of women and children. However, the armed men disobeyed those instructions and carried out the forced separation. MSF attempted to negotiate with the Libyan Coordination Center on the ground, without success.
Currently, the 83 rescued people are safe on the MSF ship, but many are in a state of distress after being separated from their families. The organization has denounced that those deported to Libya will once again face conditions of violence, abuse and arbitrary detentions in that country, which is not considered a safe place by international organizations.
The UN and human rights organizations have repeatedly highlighted serious violations against migrants in Libya, including torture, abuse and inhuman treatment. MSF stressed that Libya is not a safe place and that deporting people to that country violates international standards.
The attack also puts into focus the controversial agreement between the European Union and Libya to stop irregular immigrationin which the Libyan coast guard is funded despite constant reports of abuses. The NGO asked European authorities to intervene to reunite separated families.
MSF has described the situation as “unacceptable” and has highlighted that this type of intervention in international waters endangers human lives and violates fundamental rights. The organization asks international authorities to take measures to guarantee the safety of migrants and reunify separated families.
After the rescue, the Geo Barents He headed to the Italian port of Brindisi, assigned by the Italian authorities as a safe place for the survivors to disembark.
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