The United States of America has blocked a request to allow a Libyan Navy vessel which was in Malta since 2013 from returning home to combat migrant smuggling, international news reports have read. The Libyan Express reported that the Libyan UN-backed government wanted the ship, now repaired, returned as part of the country’s efforts to combat migrant smuggling. The Maltese Government, through its Sanctions Monitoring Board, has made representations to the Libya Sanctions Committee requesting guidance on the formal request by the Libyan state for the vessel's return. Apart from the lack of Libyan assets in the area, most migrant rescue NGOs have been incapacitated, with three groups having ships detained in Malta. The government had said that no NGO rescue vessel would be allowed to enter or leave port before it was established whether any international laws were being broken.

Source: Libya Today September 11, 2018 08:15 UTC