The Germany-based humanitarian group Sea-Watch said on Friday a speedboat labelled “Libyan Coast Guard” attacked a migrant boat packed with some 150 migrants, beating them with sticks. Migrant rescues are often complicated in Libya, where the U.N.-backed Tripoli government struggles to impose its authority, coast guard operations are under-equipt and police units are run by some of the competing armed brigades. Qassem said at around 2:30 am on Friday, the coast guard of the western region of Libya spotted three vessels off the coast. The Sea-Watch crew recovered four bodies, spokesman Ruben Neugebauer told Reuters. The incident happened before the planned start of training next week of up to 100 Libyan coast guard members as part of the EU mission Operation Sophia.

Source: Libya Today October 22, 2016 08:26 UTC