Italy deployed a naval patrol boat to Libya Wednesday in a move to stem the flow of migrants traveling across the Mediterranean.
The Italian government made the decision with support from the Libyan coast guard. Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti said the plan is to provide technical assistance for the Libyans rather than imposing a “hostile” naval blockade against migrant boats.
“(We will) provide logistical, technical and operational support for Libyan naval vessels, helping them and supporting them in shared and coordinated actions,” Pinotti said, according to Reuters.
Help organizations immediately criticized the move, saying it puts people at risk if they end up in the hands of Libyan forces.
“After years of saving lives at sea, Italy is preparing to help Libyan forces who are known to detain people in conditions that expose them to a real risk of torture, sexual violence, and forced labour,” Human Rights Watch’s Judith Sunderland said in a statement.
An NGO rescue ship was further seized by the Italian coast guard Wednesday to stop people smugglers from bringing migrants into the country illegally.
So far 101,417 migrant arrivals have been recorded in 2017, according to Missing Migrants. At least 2,353 people have drowned during their journeys.
The Italian government has considered a “nuclear option” to get rid of migrants by issuing temporary visas that would allow them to move freely across Europe. (RELATED: Italy Considers ‘Nuclear Option’ To Ease Growing Migrant Crisis)
“Letting migrants travel once they reach Italy would create a real problem for our EU neighbors,” Luigi Manconi, an Italian senator with the ruling Democratic Party, told The Times in July. “But I hope it would force France to confront the migrant problem head on.”
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