Libyan Militias Carried Out 60 Violent Attacks At Sea Since 2016, New Report Reveals

A new report by the maritime search and rescue organisation Sea-Watch reveals that Libyan militias, including the so-called Libyan coastguard, have carried out 60 violent attacks at sea since 2016, targeting migrants, civil actors, and EU state personnel. Out of these, 54 attacks were attributed specifically to the Libyan coastguard.

The research, titled ‘Episodes of violence by the so-called Libyan coastguard and other Libyan militias at sea: 2016 → September 2025’, is the first to systematically document extreme acts of violence in the Mediterranean committed by Libyan actors. Experts caution that the actual number of incidents is likely much higher, as many attacks go unreported.

Documented acts include shootings, hijacking of rescue vessels, dangerous maneuvers near boats in distress, physical assault of migrants, abandonment of bodies at sea, and obstruction of rescue operations.

At least 54 of the attacks occurred in international waters, either in the Maltese search and rescue region or in the so-called Libyan zone. Migrants remain the primary victims of these violent actions.

In 2024 alone, the International Organisation for Migration reported that more than 21,700 people were forcibly taken to Libya, where they face systemic abuse, including torture, slavery, and sexual violence.

⚡️COMMUNIQUÉ⚡️
Hier après-midi l’Ocean Viking a été délibérément pris pour cible par les garde-côtes libyens. Le navire et les équipements essentiels de sauvetage ont subi d’importants dégâts.

Un acte inacceptable.

SOS MEDITERRANEE demande :

➡️une enquête complète sur les… pic.twitter.com/ZEDQS1Gx8H

— SOS MEDITERRANEE France (@SOSMedFrance) August 25, 2025

Sea-Watch advocacy officer Bérénice Gaudin expressed concern that EU agreements and collaborations with Libyan authorities effectively legitimise violence at sea, describing it as “absolutely outrageous” that Frontex and the Commission are rolling out the red carpet on EU soil for militia members who have shot at migrants and rescue vessels.

The report was published shortly before delegations from East and West Libya were due to visit the Frontex headquarters in Warsaw and the EU Commission in Brussels. East Libya is currently controlled by General Khalifa Haftar, a convicted war criminal.

The report highlights that attacks are still occurring. Just last weekend, Alarm Phone reported a shooting by the Libyan coastguard at a boat in distress, leaving one person shot in the head and two others injured.

In late August, the rescue ship Ocean Viking came under 20 minutes of heavy gunfire, followed by a similar attack on the Sea-Watch 5 a month later.

Sea-Watch added that the report focuses on the most visible and direct forms of violence, which occur within a system of illegal and coercive migrant interceptions.

Reference: sea-watch

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