Latest news with #Tobruk
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 days ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
18 Migrants Die in Shipwreck off Eastern Libya, 50 Missing
At least 18 migrants died in a shipwreck off the city of Tobruk in eastern Libya over the weekend, and 50 are still missing, the International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday, citing reports. Ten survivors have been accounted for so far, the IOM said. Tobruk is a coastal city near the border with Egypt. A diplomatic source from the Egyptian consulate in Benghazi in eastern Libya told Reuters by phone that the migrants are from Egypt. The diplomat said 10 bodies were identified and transferred back home, while the survivors were being held in an anti-illegal migration facility. A Libyan Coast Guard official said the bodies of migrants were found in Alaghila Beach, some 25 kilometers east of Tobruk. Since the toppling of Moammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011, Libya has become a transit country for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty across the desert and over the Mediterranean to Europe. "This latest tragedy is a stark reminder of the deadly risks people are forced to take in search of safety and opportunity. Libya remains a major transit point for migrants and refugees, many of whom face exploitation, abuse, and life-threatening journeys," the IOM said. Meanwhile, rescue units, involving Navy, coast guard, civil protection and border units, rescued 11 Algerians and a Tunisia off the province of Bizerte, north Tunisia, attempting an illegal sea crossing to Italy from Algeria's El-Kala coast after their boat broke down at sea, a security source told TAP news agency. The source said bad weather prevented the Algerians, from the state of El Tarf, from advancing towards the Italian coast and therefore, were stranded in water for four days. All rescued migrants were transferred to a hospital in Bizerte where they received treatment.
Associated Press
7 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
A Europe-bound migrant boat capsizes off the Libyan coast, leaving at least 15 people dead
CAIRO (AP) — A migrant boat capsized early Friday off the coast of Libya, leaving at least 15 Egyptians dead, according to Libyan officials. The boat was bound for Europe and was carrying dozens when it capsized around 2 a.m. near the eastern Libyan town of Tobruk, according to Marwan al-Shaeri, the media spokesperson of general administration of the coast guard in Tobruk. Al-Shaeri confirmed that all those known to have died were Egyptian nationals. The crews were able to rescue two Sudanese crewmembers, but a third is still missing. He told The Associated Press that the sea is not suitable for any sailing activity but couldn't say why the boat capsized. It was unclear how many people were still missing. Local aid group Abreen, which tracks migrant activity, said early Friday afternoon on Facebook that 10 people survived the incident. Libya is a dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. Drowning incidents near the country's coast have been common. In December, at least 61 migrants, including women and children, drowned off the town of Zuwara on Libya's western coast. According to the missing migrants project run by the International Organization for Migration, at least 434 migrants have been reported dead and 611 missing off Libya in the past eight months. More than 14,100 migrants were intercepted and returned to the chaos-stricken country. Libya was plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.
Arab News
19-06-2025
- General
- Arab News
At least 60 migrants, including Pakistanis and Egyptians, feared dead after Libya shipwrecks
TRIPOLI, Libya: At least 60 migrants including Pakistanis and Egyptians are feared dead after a pair of shipwrecks off the coast of Libya over the past week, according to the International Organization for Migration. The first ship went down on June 12 near a Libyan port in Tripoli, with 21 people, including women and children, reported missing and only five survivors found, the IOM said in a statement Tuesday. Those lost at sea included Eritrean, Pakistani, Egyptian and Sudanese nationals. The second wreck took place about 35 kilometers (20 miles) off the port city of Tobruk, with the sole survivor reporting 39 people lost at sea, according to the UN body. 'With dozens feared dead and entire families left in anguish, IOM is once again urging the international community to scale up search and rescue operations and guarantee safe, predictable disembarkation for survivors,' said Othman Belbeisi, the IOM's regional director for the Middle East and North Africa. According to the statement, at least 743 people have died so far this year trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. The deadly route, it said, is 'marked by increasingly dangerous smuggling practices, limited rescue capacity and growing restrictions on humanitarian operations.' As of June 15, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, migrant landings on the Italian coast were up 15 percent year on year, with most originating in Libya.
Al Jazeera
17-06-2025
- Al Jazeera
At least 60 people ‘feared dead' after shipwrecks off the coast of Libya
At least 60 refugees and migrants are feared missing and drowned at sea after two shipwrecks off the coast of Libya, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has said, after attempting the perilous crossing to Europe. 'With dozens feared dead and entire families left in anguish, IOM is once again urging the international community to scale up search and rescue operations and guarantee safe, predictable disembarkation for survivors,' Othman Belbeisi, the regional director for the Middle East and North Africa. One shipwreck occurred on June 12 near Alshab port in Tripolitania, the United Nations agency said. Only five survivors were found and 21 people were reported missing. Among those feared dead are six Eritreans, including three women and three children, five Pakistanis, four Egyptians and two Sudanese men. The identities of four others remain unknown. The second incident occurred on June 13, approximately 35km (22 miles) west of Libya's Tobruk. According to the sole survivor, who was rescued by fishermen, 39 people are missing. At least 743 people have died so far this year attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, including 538 on the Central Mediterranean route, which remains the deadliest known migration route in the world. In recent years, the European Union has increased efforts to reduce such migration, including by providing equipment and financial support to the Libyan coastguard, a quasi-military organisation linked to militias accused of abuses and other crimes. NGOs say the phasing out of state-run search and rescue operations has made journeys across the Mediterranean more dangerous. They have also denounced what they see as punitive action by states against charities operating in the Mediterranean. As a result, many people fleeing conflict and persecution have found themselves stranded in Libya, often held in detention in conditions that rights groups describe as inhumane. Libya, which is still struggling to recover from years of war and chaos after the 2011 NATO-backed overthrow of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi, has been criticised for its treatment of refugees and migrants. Accusations from rights groups range from extortion to slavery, while smugglers and human traffickers have also taken advantage of the climate of instability in the country.
Arab News
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Libya once again in the abyss of despair
On May 12, Tripoli experienced widespread clashes between rival militias as Libya became the arena for the type of blood-letting and public disorder that recalled the horrors of civil conflicts and war that have devastated the country for more than a decade. Both parts of the divided country, led by rival authorities in Tobruk and Tripoli, are overrun by militias. The administration in the east, headed by the House of Representatives in Tobruk, is supported by the Libyan Arab Armed Forces, commanded by Khalifa Haftar. His army controls political and financial institutions. Haftar's forces also control Libya's oil-producing areas in the east that produce 1.2 million barrels a day. Oil revenues, which are deposited in the Central Bank of Libya, account for 97 percent of the government revenues required to pay for official expenses, salaries, and imports. The latest turbulence has occurred in the west of the country, which is administered by the Government of National Unity headed by acting Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. Tripoli is home to three powerful militias: the Stability Support Authority; the Special Deterrence Force, also known as Radaa; and the 444 Brigade. In early May, Dbeibah called for the dismantling of these militias. On May 12, after heavy fighting, the head of the Stability Support Authority, Abdulghani Kikli, was killed. He was the most powerful militia chief in Tripoli, controlling internal security and managing cash transfers from the central bank. Following his death, militias affiliated with Dbeibah, in particular the 444 Brigade, took over the assets of the Stability Support Authority, consolidating Dbeibah's hold on power. Beginning on May 16, however, popular protests started to take place in Tripoli demanding Dbeibah's resignation. The demonstrators held him responsible for the power enjoyed by the militias, and for their own dire security and living conditions. After the protests were quelled by the security forces, Dbeibah took credit for 'ending the rule of militia and building a state of law.' The latest violence in Tripoli has highlighted the fragility of a binary political order in Libya that has enfeebled state institutions, weaned predatory political leaders, and encouraged lawlessness and violence in the broken polity. It has also placed Libya at the center of regional human-trafficking networks. The International Organization for Migration estimates that in January and February this year more than 700,000 migrants from 44 countries were waiting in Libya to make perilous sea journeys to Europe. The latest violence in Tripoli has highlighted the fragility of a binary political order in Libya that has enfeebled state institutions. Talmiz Ahmad The rival leaders in Tripoli and Tobruk enjoy the support of one of two major external powers: Turkiye backs Tripoli, while Russia backs Tobruk. Turkiye has provided the Government of National Unity with armored vehicles, air defense systems, armed drones, and artillery. Meanwhile, during a military parade in Benghazi on May 26, Haftar flaunted Russian-supplied weaponry that included air defense systems, helicopters, tanks, military trucks, rocket systems, and infantry fighting vehicles. The parade served to showcase his military prowess, and supported the Libyan Arab Armed Forces' claim to be the legitimate national army. While Libya's leaders enrich themselves and feud with each other, their backers, Turkiye and Russia, are reaping strategic and economic benefits. Russia already has airbases at Al-Khadim and Al-Shatti, and is said to be looking to establish a Mediterranean naval base, possibly at Tobruk itself. Turkiye's agreement with the Tripoli-based government in 2021 strengthened its claims to the energy resources of the Eastern Mediterranean. Since then, the country has obtained lucrative infrastructure contracts from the Tobruk government as well. Russia views Libya as a strategic bridge to the Mediterranean and Africa. In the aftermath of the regime change in Syria, Moscow has targeted Libya as its principal geopolitical center for political, economic, and military outreach in Africa. Its interests on the continent, particularly in the Sahel, are being promoted by the Africa Corps, the successor to the Wagner Group, and are well-served from bases in Libya, particularl Maettan Al-Sarra close to the borders with Chad and Sudan. So far, Turkiye and Russia have been pursuing a policy of 'managed rivalry,' as they have done previously in relation to Syria and the South Caucasus. A recent analysis in an Arabic newspaper contrasted the current lawlessness and violence in western Libya with the unity, discipline, and security provided by Haftar in the east through the elimination of extremists and militias. The author suggested that before seeking free elections and a democratic government, Tripoli needs to establish law and order through a takeover by Haftar's forces and unite the country. Possibly concerned by the corrosive effect of the national divide, Russia and Turkiye just might agree to unify Libya under Haftar. In September last year, there were reports that he was moving his troops to Ghadames, a strategically located oasis with an airport near the border with Tunisia and Algeria. This movement of his armed forces was seen as a precursor to the siege of Tripoli. However, recent history tells us that although in times of disorder and violence military rule might seem alluring, once in power such rule rarely makes way for free and fair elections; instead, it remains entrenched for decades and grows increasingly autocratic, intolerant, and harsh. Libya, sadly, is likely to be the latest example of this historical truth.
