The European Commission denies helping smugglers in Libya, following a deadly Pylos shipwreck near Greece that reportedly sailed from the Tobruk area of the north African state. We are fighting against smugglers," Eric Mamer, the European Commission chief's spokesperson told reporters in Brussels on Friday (16 June). "The Libyan coast guard and smugglers are one together," he told this website in 2021. "The smugglers pay money to the Libyan coast guard to let them pass [to Europe by sea]," he said. That message was reinforced by Ylva Johansson, the EU migration commissioner, following the Pylos shipwreck which has likely killed several hundred people.

Source: Libya Today June 16, 2023 14:30 UTC