MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st February, 2020) The European Union's new naval mission to monitor violations of a UN imposed arms embargo on Libya, which will be concentrated off the eastern coast of the North African country and far from the traditional routes taken by migrant vessels, is a conscious choice not to save the lives of those seeking to reach Europe, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Head of Mission in Libya Michael Fark told Sputnik.
On Monday, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell announced the start of a new operation off the eastern coast of Libya to monitor violations of a UN arms embargo imposed on the North African country. The new mission will replace Operation Sophia, the EU's anti-smuggling mission in the region.
"We know that efforts are needed ... However, the conscious choice to shift the mission many miles east of where rescues need to take place means lives are unlikely to be saved. When boats get into distress, it is a matter of minutes to save people. We cannot do this alone. We urgently need to see EU search and rescue capacity at sea," Fark stated.
Operation Sophia was essentially concluded prior to Borrell's recent announcement after Italian ports in 2019 began refusing to give migrants permission to disembark. However, vessels carrying migrants continue to attempt to traverse the Mediterranean Sea, and the MSF head of mission cited the continued operations of humanitarian organizations in the region to save migrant lives.
"Ocean Viking operated by MSF in partnership with SOS Mediterranee has rescued 274 people, from three boats in distress in less than 48 hours. The resumption of naval and aerial activity to provide assets able to conduct search and rescue operations in the area would be welcome," the mission head stated.
While recognizing the shift in focus to monitoring the arms embargo, Borrell on Monday stated that the EU would continue to monitor migrant flows, on the request of certain member states, and would still have a duty to rescue migrants should they encounter any vessels in distress.
However, the EU's top diplomat also stated that maritime assets could be withdrawn from the new EU mission in the event of what he called a "pull effect", wherein the hope of rescue would encourage more migrants to take dangerous by-sea migration routes, or an uptick in vessels carrying migrants. The EU is also devoting aerial and satellite assets to enforce the arms embargo.
More than 50,000 migrants were rescued by the EU during Operation Sophia's lifespan. The order to use naval vessels to rescue migrants at sea was introduced in 2015 amid a surge in vessels attempting to reach Europe.�
