Frontex sends mission to Libya

In the wake of the recent upsurge in illegal immigrants departing from Libya, trying to reach EU shores, particularly Malta and Italy, the EU Border Control agency Frontex has sent a reconnaissance mission to Libya to assess the situation on the ground and evaluate what type of assistance the country needs to stop illegal migration.

Libya is currently being accused by southern EU member states, including Malta, of not collaborating on illegal immigration and of not living up to its obligations under international laws, not even with regard to its maritime search and rescue area.

Malta was blamed by the international media last week for not taking responsibility of incidents taking place in Libya's search and rescue areas.

Frontex sources told The Sunday Times that its delegation will be in Libya until Tuesday, and will be visiting mainly the country's southern borders, considered to be the main entry gate for sub-Saharan Africans who flee their country trying to reach EU countries.

The delegation, which also includes a Malta Police Force official, will be touring the northern maritime borders on the Mediterranean coast, from Ras Ajdir to Misurata.

Sources said that through this visit, EU officials expect to have a clearer picture of how many illegal immigrants are currently waiting for the next boat to cross over to EU shores and see what the Libyans are doing to stop them.

Sources said that until now Libya does not seem to be co-operating on this issue.

"There is definitely no political will on Tripoli's to stem the problem. No real patrols on the Mediterranean coast exist and it is almost a free-for-all situation with clandestine trafficker groups operating all over the country. Libya definitely needs help, but there also has to be a political will to act," sources insisted.

During a visit last year by a European Parliament delegation, led by Nationalist MEP Simon Busuttil, it was discovered that Libya had only one patrol boat, donated by the Italians, to search its 2,000-kilometre coast on the Mediterranean against illegal migration. The Libyan navy is not utilised for such operations.

The European Parliament is soon expected to send another delegation to Libya's southern borders.