Coastguard returns more than 1,000 migrants from sea to Libya
dpa
ROME (dpa) - The Libyan coastguard recovered more than 1,000 migrants floating in wooden and rubber boats in the Mediterranean Sea over the last few days and returned them to the Libyan coast.
Since Friday, 1,124 people have been saved, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Monday.
The Italian government decided in July to launch a naval mission providing technical and logistical support to the Libyan coastguard, a move seen as a potential game changer in Europe's quest to stop sea migration from North Africa.
In the latest rescue mission, 155 people - including 18 women and 10 children - were rescued Monday morning near the capital city of Tripoli.
The migrants came from several countries, including Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Sudan as well as Sub-Saharan Africa and Syria, according to Italian media reports.
Libya has been in disarray since the NATO-backed ouster of former leader Moamer Gaddafi in 2011. Lawlessness in the former Italian colony has been a major factor in fuelling the migrant trafficking trade.
Around 114,000 migrants have landed in southern Europe since the start of the year, and about 82 per cent ended up in Italy, according to data from the IOM last month. Nearly all of them set sail from Libya.
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The migrants came from several countries, including Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Sudan as well as Sub-Saharan Africa and Syria, according to Italian media reports.
Libya has been in disarray since the NATO-backed ouster of former leader Moamer Gaddafi in 2011. Lawlessness in the former Italian colony has been a major factor in fuelling the migrant trafficking trade.
Around 114,000 migrants have landed in southern Europe since the start of the year, and about 82 per cent ended up in Italy, according to data from the IOM last month. Nearly all of them set sail from Libya.
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