At least 480 migrants were intercepted off the coast of Libya by local coast guard forces in the past 48 hours, according to the United Nation’s migration agency. In recent years, the European Union has partnered with Libya’s coast guard and other local groups to stem such dangerous sea crossings. Rights groups, however, say those policies leave migrants at the mercy of armed groups or confined in squalid detention centers rife with abuses. On Jan. 19, a boat carrying migrants bound for Europe capsized in the Mediterranean off the coast of Libya, and at least 43 people drowned. The tragedy marked the first maritime disaster in 2021 involving migrants seeking better lives in Europe.

Source: Libya Today March 28, 2021 19:52 UTC