Europe’s search and rescue bodies suspend contacts with Libyan counterpart

In response to what they claim are years of unsanitary conditions for refugees and asylum seekers making the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean to Europe, more than a dozen European search and rescue organizations have announced the formation of a new alliance and suspended cooperation with their Libyan counterpart.

The Justice Fleet, which will have the mission to “uphold human rights and international maritime law,” was announced by the 13-member alliance on Wednesday, which includes organizations from Germany, France, Spain, and Italy, according to a press release from the NGO SOS Humanity, a member of the new alliance.

After “years of escalating human rights violations” against asylum seekers and refugees traveling by sea, The Justice Fleet also announced that it is “ending operational communication” with Libya’s Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) in Tripoli.

The JRCC Tripoli, which coordinates the so-called Libyan Coast Guard’s violence, is not regarded as a competent body, according to the press release.

According to Ina Friebe, Compass Collective’s spokesperson, “We have never recognized these actors as legitimate rescue authorities because they are members of a violent regime supported by the European Union.”

“We are being made to communicate with specific actors more frequently now. This must end. A clear line against European complicity in crimes against humanity should be drawn by the so-called Libyan Rescue Coordination Centre.

According to a recent report from the NGO Sea-Watch, which is also a part of the new alliance, the Libyan coastguard committed at least 60 violent maritime incidents between 2016 and September 2025. The true figure is likely much higher. In incidents like those that result from shooting at boats carrying refugees and asylum seekers, abandoning people at sea, and preventing rescue operations.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Mediterranean Sea was one of the deadliest refugee routes last year, with at least 2,452 people dying or missing in it.

Since the defection of its leader, Muammar Gaddafi, in 2011, the country has become a transit point for about 867, 055 asylum seekers and refugees.

Africans found employment in the oil-rich nation during Gaddafi’s rule. However, rival militias have been engaged in armed conflict in Libya since his ouster.

At least 60 refugees and migrants were feared missing and drowned at sea after two shipwrecks off the coast of Libya were reported in August, with at least 27 of those who perished after two boats went down off the southern Italian island of Lampedusa.

In Libya, rights organizations and UN agencies have documented systematic abuse of refugees and migrants, including rape, extortion, and torture.

The Libyan coastguard, a quasi-military organization connected to militias accused of abuses and other crimes, has received financial assistance from the EU in recent years, including by providing them with equipment and financial assistance.

According to NGOs, the state-run search and rescue operations have become more dangerous as a result of the elimination of these programs.