[WATCH] Libyan militia fires warning shots at Sea-Eye during rescue of 90 lives

Libyan boats interfere with delicate rescue as migrants at sea almost drown to feel return to Tripoli

The Libyan ‘coast-guard’? A militiaman aboard a speedboat with a machine gun attached to it. Photo: Zoe Hansen/Sea-Eye
The Libyan ‘coast-guard’? A militiaman aboard a speedboat with a machine gun attached to it. Photo: Zoe Hansen/Sea-Eye
Dramatic scenes and tensions as Libyan militia attempts to stop migrant rescue

Libyan authorities have been accused of provoking a dangerous incident inside international waters as a migrant charity boat rescued people at risk of drowning.

The crew of the NGO Sea-Eye’s Alan Kurdi were alerted to an emergency call from the aid organisation AlarmPhone of a rubber boat in international waters on Saturday.

Upon arrival, the crew started its usual distribution of life jackets and evacuated the first few people.

“The rubber boat was completely overburdened, and water entered. Suddenly, three heavily armed fast boats under Libyan flag approached,” Sea-Eye said in a statement, Sunday.

Photo: Julie Bourdin
Photo: Julie Bourdin

According to Sea-Eye, the Libyans positioned themselves between the Alan Kurdi and the rubber boat to stop the rescue efforts. “In panic, people started jumping off the white rubber boat to reach the rescue boats of the Alan Kurdi. The Libyan militia threatened the captain via radio with aiming their boat’s mounted guns at the German ship. The captain sent the majority of the crew to the back of the ship to minimise the danger to them,” Jan Ribbec, Sea-Eye director of mission said.

The situation further escalated when warning shots were fired into the air and water.

Photo: Zoe Hansen
Photo: Zoe Hansen

Ribbec said the Libyans aimed their mounted guns at the people in the water. Another witness, head of mission Joshua Wedler, said the Alan Kurdi was unable to manoeuvre at this point, because the Libyan boats had positioned themselves in such a way that the ship could neither move forward or back.

“A collision between the Alan Kurdi the rubber boat made many people fall into the water. People, who were taken on board by the Libyan militia jumped right back into the water.”

Photo: Zoe Hansen
Photo: Zoe Hansen

Sea-Eye has asked the German Foreign Ministry for urgent help avoiding a severe tragedy. “In this chaos, the Alan Kurdi’s crew was able to act soberly and professionally. They pulled all people from the water and the rubber boat on board of their own ship. At this point, the dangerous confrontation ended. The Libyans confiscated the empty rubber boat and thus withdrew,” Ribbec said.

90 survivors together with 17 crew members are now on board the rescue ship Alan Kurdi. The crew remained unharmed.

The Libyan speedboat looks up at the Sea-Eye Moonbird plane
The Libyan speedboat looks up at the Sea-Eye Moonbird plane

The boat later received a call from Libyan officer whose name was given as Al Abuzidi, who insisted that Tripoli be recognised as the ‘place of safety’ for the rescued migrants. Referring to international law, the Sea-Eye-mission control denied this assigned port and took course towards the Italian island Lampedusa. 

But a medical team fears for the life of an unborn child. A pregnant woman is suffering from heavy abdominal bleeding. Ribbeck has asked the Maltese and Italian officials for the woman’s evacuation. “We’re afraid the young mother has lost her baby during this incident,” Ribbeck said.

“It is an unbelievable and shocking fact that European, civil rescue forces were threatened and endangered here by persons, who are supported in their human rights violating efforts to stop people fleeing Libya by the rescue crew’s very own home countries,” Sea-Eye spokesperson Gorden Isler said.

“That no one was harmed today is solely attributable to the professional and de-escalating demeanour of our crew. We are happy that they will return safely to their families.”