Libya's Eastern Based Government Warns Italy Over Ships

Italy has despatched naval patrol boat,, Nave Comandante Borsini, to Libya in order to help the country’s coast guard curb the flow of migrants.

The Italian parliament gave the go-ahead for a naval mission, saying it had been requested by Libya’s U.N.-backed government.

But the move triggered angry statements from factions in eastern Libya that oppose the Tripoli based government.

Abdallah Bilhaq, a spokesman for the Libyan House of Representatives in Tobruk, said Italy wanted to “export the illegal immigration crisis from its territory to Libya’s”, adding that the return of tens of thousands of migrants would have a “dangerous impact” on Libya’s security, economy and society.

The parliament also criticised Prime Minister Fayez Serraj for striking the deal with the Italians.

Serraj’s government has denied that, although Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni said they requested help from Italy’s navy.

The parliament in Tobruk said having a foreign Navy's vessels patrolling Libyan waters would be a “violation to the sovereignty of Libya.”

After a surge in migrant arrivals from Libya at the start of the year, the number of newcomers to Italy has slowed

However, rights groups have warned that those sent back to Libya face abuse at the hands of traffickers.

Comments

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh: Dera Sacha Sauda spiritual leader found guilty of raping female followers

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh at a news conference to launch the score for his film 'MSG-2 The Messenger' in Mumbai AFP/Getty Images A popular Indian actor and spiritual leader, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, has been convicted of raping his followers following a high profile trial. Singh was found guilty of raping two women in a case dating back to 2002 at the headquarters of his Dera Sacha Sauda group in the town of Sirsa. The bearded guru, who had denied the charges, had arrived for the hearing with a 100-vehicle convoy that left his ashram early on Friday. Some 15,000 police and soldiers were deployed in Panchkula, the town where his trial took place, for fear of violence. Tens of thousands of his devotees had travelled there to protest his innocence, according to reports, while internet and phone services were throttled in a bid to forestall unrest. In a televised appeal, Singh asked his supporters not to resort to violence, but some said they would not t...

Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar of the Libyan National Army (LNA) threatens to attack Italian vessels in Libyan waters unlikely to materialise, but risks support mission

the Italian parliament approved legislation allowing Italian military vessels to patrol Libyan waters in order to stem the flow of migrants entering Italy. This is the latest in a series of initiatives and proposals by the Italian government to block the Mediterranean migrant route, including the recent introduction of a code of conduct curtailing the flexibility of aid groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to operate rescue vessels in the Mediterranean. In response to the latest measure to deploy the Italian navy, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar of the Libyan National Army (LNA) – a militia associated with the Tobruk-based government in eastern Libya – warned that any non-commercial vessel entering Libyan waters without prior authorisation would be attacked.

More Than 70 Killed in Fighting in Western Myanmar

An empty street in Maungdaw township, in Rakhine State in western Myanmar, on Friday after the authorities told residents to stay in their homes after an attack by Rohingya militants. Credit Wai Moe/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images HONG KONG — More than 70 people were killed on Friday in clashes between militants and security forces in Rakhine State in western Myanmar, which outside observers called a worrying upsurge of violence in the troubled region. The dead included at least 12 members of the security forces and at least 59 Rohingya insurgents, according to a statement from the office of Myanmar’s de facto leader, State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi . Myanmar’s armed forces said the militants used knives, small arms and explosives in coordinated early morning attacks on several police and military posts around Buthidaung and Maungdaw, near Myanmar’s border with Bangladesh. Rakhine is home to about one million Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim min...

Signals

Search This Blog