The oil and gas minister of the Tripoli administration, Mashala Agoub Said, is in Malta 'seeking cooperation on migration' after having also visited Italy and France.

He told a press conference at the Libyan embassy building in Balzan that Libya was as much a victim of migration as other countries. Some 200 people arrived in Libya every day and the country's 20 detention centres were full and there were hundreds of thousands of migrants throughout the country.

The migrants, he said, were a financial burden on the country, but there were also serious concerns about the people smugglers.

"There people are making millions and we do not know how this money will be used. It may be used against us," he said.

Libya is currently practically in a state of civil war, split between the administration in Tripoli and the internationally-recognised government in Tobruk.

He said arrangements which Libya used to have for the repatriation of the migrants could no longer be used because many embassies had closed. Mr Agoub Said said his administration wanted help from Europe to secure Libya's southern border and repatriate migrants to their countries.

There was also a suspicion that Tobruk government strongman General Haftar had worked to scupper a repatriation agreement which Libya had with Sudan.

The minister used harsh words against General Haftar - Defence Minister in the Tobruk government - saying he was worse than Muammar Gaddafi, to the extent that people were even fleeing from Benghazi, where he held sway.  

He also noted that General Haftar was making use of mercenaries from sub-sahara. His actions were helping strengthen the presence of IS in Libya.

The minister said the Tripoli administration wanted direct talks with other countries and also with the Tobruk government with a view of reuniting Libya but he stressed that he would not like his family to live under General Haftar.