Libya

Watch: Help and rescue amid the rubble of devasted Morocco<\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Ousssama Ali, spokesman for the Libyan \"Emergency and Rescue Service\" under the internationally recognised government in Tripoli, said the floods caused by storm Daniel had left \"more than 2,300 dead\" and around 7,000 injured in Derna, while more than 5,000 people were missing.<\/p>\n<p>He added at least 65 other people had been killed in the storm in other towns and cities in eastern Libya.<\/p>\n<p>The National Petroleum Company, which has its main oilfields and terminals in eastern Libya, declared \"a state of maximum alert\" and suspended flights between production sites where activity was drastically reduced.<\/p>\n<p>The Red Crescent has appealed for international assistance and says the devastation is on a similar level to the earthquake in neighbouring Morocco.<\/p>\n<p>Weather forecasters predicted more heavy rain there in the coming days.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1694512907,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1694530397,"firstPublishedAt":1694530399,"lastPublishedAt":1694533494,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/88\/81\/94\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_ddb7a94f-0d6b-5782-8732-c782828a611f-7888194.jpg","altText":"Emergency workers uncovered hundreds of bodies as they dug through the wreckage of Libya\u2019s eastern city of Derna on Tuesday, and 10,000 people were reported still missing afte","caption":"Emergency workers uncovered hundreds of bodies as they dug through the wreckage of Libya\u2019s eastern city of Derna on Tuesday, and 10,000 people were reported still missing afte","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP\/AP","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"height":683},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/88\/94\/22\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_7a8d3339-ebff-5e37-a5f6-402f15db7d61-7889422.jpg","altText":"Derna, Libya ","caption":"Derna, Libya ","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP\/AP","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"height":683}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"id":1070,"urlSafeValue":"churm","title":"Philip Andrew 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AP","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','gb_safe','gb_safe_from_high','gb_safe_from_high_med','pos_ukrainecriris_ru','gs_science','gs_science_environ','gs_science_environment','gs_society','gs_society_charity'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2023\/09\/12\/10000-people-are-missing-and-thousands-are-feared-dead-as-eastern-libya-is-devastated-by-f","lastModified":1694533494},{"id":2360014,"cid":7863412,"versionId":3,"archive":0,"housenumber":"230901_EISU_52948062","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"GREEN_Libya and Jordan: How big a solution is hydroponics in two of the world's driest countries?","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Libya and Jordan: How big a solution is hydroponics in two of the world's driest countries? ","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Hydroponics is a \u2018godsend\u2019 in this country with no natural rivers","titleListing2":"Libya and Jordan: How big a solution is hydroponics in two of the world's driest countries? ","leadin":"With heatwaves destroying crops in Libya and Jordan, farmers and refugees are finding hope in a popular new farming technique.","summary":"With heatwaves destroying crops in Libya and Jordan, farmers and refugees are finding hope in a popular new farming technique.","keySentence":"","url":"libya-and-jordan-how-big-a-solution-is-hydroponics-in-two-of-the-worlds-driest-countries","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/2023\/09\/02\/libya-and-jordan-how-big-a-solution-is-hydroponics-in-two-of-the-worlds-driest-countries","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"In Ubari, an oasis town a thousand kilometres south of Tripoli in Libya, the summer heat can be lethal. Temperatures now frequently top 50 degrees Celsius - so hot that schools and offices are shut for public safety. \n\nFor 35-year-old Ubari farmer Khalifa Muhammad, the extreme heat is a matter of life and death for something else: his fruits and vegetables. \u201cOver the past five years, high temperatures have badly affected our harvest,\u201d says Muhammad. \n\nLibya is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change. The North African nation has been hit by longer periods of drought , increased sandstorms, higher evaporation rates and worsening desertification. Together these extremes are causing unprecedented crop failure, undermining Libya\u2019s food security. \n\nTo grow food in such harsh conditions, Libyan farmers like Muhammad are turning to hydroponic farming : a method that cultivates crops directly in water, rather than soil, and from inside temperature-controlled tents. \n\n\u201cIt\u2019s helped us produce healthy vegetables. They grow faster, have purer colours, and taste better than the ones grown by traditional methods. Hydroponics has been a godsend after years of failed crops,\" Muhammad says, while inspecting some 900 seedlings he has grown in his plastic hydroponic tent. \n\nFarmers in Jordan are turning to hydroponics too \n\nMiles away, in Jordan\u2019s capital of Amman, 48-year-old Najwa al-Qadi boasts tomatoes and red lettuce she cultivated on the rooftop of her house. \n\n\u201cThe crops I grow in my hydroponic tent help me chip into the expenses of my children\u2019s higher education,\u201d says the mother-of-five and grandmother-of-two. She makes around \u20ac130 every month from her plants. \n\nLike Libya, Jordan is one of 15 countries in the Middle East that are among the world\u2019s 25 most water-stressed spots. Populations in these countries use up the entire available water supply, and farming is one sector badly hit by the scarcity of water . \n\nIn such desert settings, hydroponics makes a lot of sense. According to Amman-based farming consultant Alaa Obeidat, \u201cthe targeted irrigation in this method of farming uses between 28 and 60 times less water than with traditional farming, since the water is captured and reused.\u201d \n\nHow does hydroponics work? \n\nGiven its reduced need for water, hydroponic farming needs no arable lands, explains Abdallah Tawfic, Cairo-based co-founder of Urban Greens Egypt. \u201cThe plants are elevated from the ground and are grown in special substrates, while getting the nutrients in a liquid form,\u201d he notes. \n\nThis makes such a method of planting ideal for Libya, where about 95 per cent of the country is desert and less than two per cent of its land gets enough rain to support traditional agriculture. With no natural rivers, nearly all fresh water for irrigation is sourced from underground aquifers. \n\nIn 2020 and 2021, Libya experienced longer than usual heatwaves and lower than normal rainfall. This completely dried up Wadi Kaam, a 30 million cubic metre dam that is one of Libya\u2019s biggest, along with several other dams across southern and western Libya. \n\nUNICEF warned in 2021 that more than 4 million Libyans faced imminent water shortages - more than half of the country\u2019s roughly 7 million people. \n\nTo help Libya\u2019s hard-hit farmers grow crops in such a punishing environment, in 2020 Seraj Bisheya and Mounier Banot launched Green Paradise, an NGO that trains farmers on hydroponic techniques and equips them with water-saving systems. \n\nThe NGO has trained over 120 farmers like Muhammed, in some of the warmest cities in Libya including Sabha, Ghat, Owainat, Wadi Ataba and Ubari, helping them build climate-resilient farms . \n\nKhaled Ibrahim, another farmer in Ubari, sought Green Paradise\u2019s help in 2022 after a season he described as \u201cthe worst in memory\u201d. Ibrahim said he, and many other farmers in the area, lost about half their crops in 2020-2021 due to the extended dry spell and sky-high temperatures. \n\n\u201cHydroponics has enabled me to cultivate crops that would have been unthinkable because of the heat, like tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini,\u201d says Ibrahim. \u201cTheir consistent size, shape and taste have also made them popular with local consumers.\u201d \n\nA lifeline for refugees \n\nIn Jordan, farmers are finding it harder to sustain a living, battling with a combination of severe water shortages and shrinking arable land. \n\nAccording to the World Bank, there is only 97 cubic metres of water available per capita per year, significantly lower than the absolute water scarcity threshold of 500 m3 per capita per year. This meagre water supply has been overstretched over the past decade by population growth and an influx of refugees. Some parts of Jordan get access to water once every week or two weeks. \n\nFor many refugees, who make up a third of Jordan\u2019s population of roughly 11 million people, agriculture remains their only option for an income. \n\nLiving in one of the most impoverished and crammed refugee camps in Jordan, and unable to find a job with his nursing degree due to his visa status, Palestinian refugee Mohammad Syam learned of hydroponic farming from another camp resident. Educating himself via YouTube videos, he then launched Senara in 2020, a company that trains refugees on hydroponic farming. \n\nAl-Qadi is one of 49 refugees Syam has trained to operate hydroponic gardens. Senara also trained 34 refugees on how to build the systems, and helped install 164 rooftop systems, most of which are in crowded refugee camps where traditional farming methods would have been impossible. \n\n45-year-old Subhi Shehab, a Syrian refugee and father of six children, was unable to keep a job due to health impediments. Receiving training from an international organisation on hydroponics, he has been able to grow bell peppers and tomatoes, making \u20ac913 over the past four months. \n\nIs hydroponic farming too expensive? \n\nThough grateful for their hydroponic tents, the farmers noted that high upfront costs is the main challenge for getting into this kind of farming . \n\nTo build a single plastic tent like Muhammad\u2019s, it costs around 7,000 Libyan dinars (around \u20ac1,344). That\u2019s because many of the components are imported, and the tents require refrigerants to keep the plants and water cool enough to thrive. \n\n\u201cThe refrigerants that have to be added to the hydroponic houses in southern Libya cost a lot of money, since the temperature is so high,\u201d said Green Paradise\u2019s Bisheya. \n\nAl-Qadi, unable to afford a refrigerant, fitted her tent with a grant-funded fan to control its temperature, but said it is limited in impact. \n\nBecause of the relatively high cost, the systems are largely dependent on grants from international organisations like the United Nations Development Program, World Food Programme and others. \n\nSteep initial expenses and lack of awareness and education are among the factors which Tawfic says are hindering the spread of hydroponics as a \u201crelatively new technique in the MENA [Middle East and North Africa] region\u201d. \n\nA lack of legislation guiding and regulating this practice also leaves farmers exposed to unprofessional service providers, he adds. \n\nDespite such odds, hydroponics is still gaining popularity in the region. \n\nThis article was published in collaboration with Egab . \n\n\n","htmlText":"<p>In Ubari, an oasis town a thousand kilometres south of Tripoli in Libya, the summer heat can be lethal. Temperatures now frequently top 50 degrees Celsius - so hot that schools and offices are shut for public safety.<\/p>\n<p>For 35-year-old Ubari farmer Khalifa Muhammad, the extreme heat is a matter of life and death for something else: his fruits and vegetables. \u201cOver the past five years, high temperatures have badly affected our harvest,\u201d says Muhammad.<\/p>\n<p>Libya is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change. The North African nation has been hit by longer periods of <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//08//23//drought-less-severe-than-2022-but-groundwater-levels-still-alarmingly-low/">drought, increased sandstorms, higher evaporation rates and worsening desertification. Together these extremes are causing unprecedented crop failure, undermining Libya\u2019s food security.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-widget-related\" data-stories-id=\"7861050,7831046\" data-event=\"widget_related\">\n <div class=\"c-widget-related__title\">\n <b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\" lang=\"en\">Related<\/b>\n <\/div>\n <ul class=\"c-widget-related__list\">\n <li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//09//01//plant-based-meat-is-the-future-billionaire-bill-gates-claims-what-has-to-change/">Plant-based meat is the \u2018future,\u2019 billionaire Bill Gates claims. What has to change?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//08//19//coffee-bananas-and-malaria-ugandas-farmers-battle-to-survive-in-the-face-of-climate-change/">Coffee, bananas and malaria: Uganda\u2019s farmers battle to survive in the face of climate change<\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>To grow food in such harsh conditions, Libyan farmers like Muhammad are turning to <strong><a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2022//12//04//inside-the-refugee-camp-using-solar-power-and-hydroponics-to-grow-thousands-of-fruit-and-v/">hydroponic farming<\/a><\/strong>: a method that cultivates crops directly in water, rather than soil, and from inside temperature-controlled tents.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s helped us produce healthy vegetables. They grow faster, have purer colours, and taste better than the ones grown by traditional methods. Hydroponics has been a godsend after years of failed crops,\" Muhammad says, while inspecting some 900 seedlings he has grown in his plastic hydroponic tent.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-ease-in-up widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.75\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//86//34//12//808x608_cmsv2_af208565-b66b-56ef-a4bb-83bc0d3a6221-7863412.jpg/" alt=\"Seraj Bisheya\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/384x288_cmsv2_af208565-b66b-56ef-a4bb-83bc0d3a6221-7863412.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/640x480_cmsv2_af208565-b66b-56ef-a4bb-83bc0d3a6221-7863412.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/750x563_cmsv2_af208565-b66b-56ef-a4bb-83bc0d3a6221-7863412.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/828x621_cmsv2_af208565-b66b-56ef-a4bb-83bc0d3a6221-7863412.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/1080x810_cmsv2_af208565-b66b-56ef-a4bb-83bc0d3a6221-7863412.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/1200x900_cmsv2_af208565-b66b-56ef-a4bb-83bc0d3a6221-7863412.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/1920x1440_cmsv2_af208565-b66b-56ef-a4bb-83bc0d3a6221-7863412.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Since its launch in 2020, Green Paradise has trained over 120 farmers in Libya on hydroponics.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Seraj Bisheya<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>Farmers in Jordan are turning to hydroponics too<\/h2>\n<p>Miles away, in Jordan\u2019s capital of Amman, 48-year-old Najwa al-Qadi boasts tomatoes and red lettuce she cultivated on the rooftop of her house.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe crops I grow in my hydroponic tent help me chip into the expenses of my children\u2019s higher education,\u201d says the mother-of-five and grandmother-of-two. She makes around \u20ac130 every month from her plants.<\/p>\n<p>Like Libya, <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2022//05//04//jordan-s-water-shortages-are-life-threatening-is-tree-planting-the-answer/">Jordan is one of 15 countries in the Middle East that are among the world\u2019s 25 most water-stressed spots. Populations in these countries use up the entire available water supply, and farming is one sector badly hit by the <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//03//08//clean-water-shortages-steal-womens-time-heres-what-happens-when-they-get-it-back/">scarcity of water<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In such desert settings, hydroponics makes a lot of sense. According to Amman-based farming consultant Alaa Obeidat, \u201cthe targeted irrigation in this method of farming uses between 28 and 60 times less water than with traditional farming, since the water is captured and reused.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-widget-related\" data-stories-id=\"7855138\" data-event=\"widget_related\">\n <div class=\"c-widget-related__title\">\n <b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\" lang=\"en\">Related<\/b>\n <\/div>\n <ul class=\"c-widget-related__list\">\n <li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//08//29//new-songs-stories-and-warrior-societies-inside-the-tribal-camps-rallying-against-climate-c/">New songs, stories and \u2018warrior societies\u2019: Inside the tribal camps rallying against climate change<\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>How does hydroponics work?<\/h2>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-ease-in-up widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.75\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//86//34//12//808x608_cmsv2_d6b72b8e-db49-5c44-aced-3674f5a52168-7863412.jpg/" alt=\"Seraj Bisheya\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/384x288_cmsv2_d6b72b8e-db49-5c44-aced-3674f5a52168-7863412.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/640x480_cmsv2_d6b72b8e-db49-5c44-aced-3674f5a52168-7863412.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/750x563_cmsv2_d6b72b8e-db49-5c44-aced-3674f5a52168-7863412.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/828x621_cmsv2_d6b72b8e-db49-5c44-aced-3674f5a52168-7863412.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/1080x810_cmsv2_d6b72b8e-db49-5c44-aced-3674f5a52168-7863412.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/1200x900_cmsv2_d6b72b8e-db49-5c44-aced-3674f5a52168-7863412.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/1920x1440_cmsv2_d6b72b8e-db49-5c44-aced-3674f5a52168-7863412.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Only 2 per cent of Libyan land gets enough rain to support traditional agriculture, making hydroponic farming an ideal alternative.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Seraj Bisheya<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Given its reduced need for water, <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//04//15//spanish-scientists-are-growing-hydroponic-hops-to-help-save-climate-threatened-beer/">hydroponic farming<\/strong><\/a> needs no arable lands, explains Abdallah Tawfic, Cairo-based co-founder of Urban Greens Egypt. \u201cThe plants are elevated from the ground and are grown in special substrates, while getting the nutrients in a liquid form,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n<p>This makes such a method of planting ideal for Libya, where about <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.undp.org//libya//environment-and-climate-change/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\"><strong>95 per cent<\/strong><\/a> of the country is desert and less than two per cent of its land gets enough rain to support traditional agriculture. With no natural rivers, nearly all fresh water for irrigation is sourced from underground aquifers.<\/p>\n<p>In 2020 and 2021, <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2022//01//23//snow-falls-in-the-sahara-desert-for-the-fifth-time-in-40-years/">Libya experienced longer than usual <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//07//26//anticyclones-marine-heatwaves-and-climate-change-the-science-behind-europes-brutal-summer/">heatwaves and lower than normal rainfall. This completely dried up Wadi Kaam, a 30 million cubic metre dam that is one of Libya\u2019s biggest, along with several other dams across southern and western Libya.<\/p>\n<p>UNICEF warned in 2021 that more than 4 million Libyans faced imminent water shortages - more than half of the country\u2019s roughly 7 million people.<\/p>\n<p>To help Libya\u2019s hard-hit farmers grow crops in such a punishing environment, in 2020 Seraj Bisheya and Mounier Banot launched Green Paradise, an NGO that trains farmers on hydroponic techniques and equips them with water-saving systems.<\/p>\n<p>The NGO has trained over 120 farmers like Muhammed, in some of the warmest cities in Libya including Sabha, Ghat, Owainat, Wadi Ataba and Ubari, helping them build climate-resilient <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//02//03//from-a-beef-farm-gone-vegan-to-scottish-seaweed-all-the-winners-of-petas-new-farming-award/">farms./n
crops that would have been unthinkable because of the heat, like tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini,\u201d says Ibrahim. \u201cTheir consistent size, shape and taste have also made them popular with local consumers.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-widget-related\" data-stories-id=\"7752218\" data-event=\"widget_related\">\n <div class=\"c-widget-related__title\">\n <b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\" lang=\"en\">Related<\/b>\n <\/div>\n <ul class=\"c-widget-related__list\">\n <li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//07//16//in-this-farm-in-portugals-alentejo-trees-get-to-retire-and-pigs-go-on-maternity-leave/">In this farm in Portugal\u2019s Alentejo trees get to retire and pigs go on maternity leave<\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>A lifeline for refugees<\/h2>\n<p>In Jordan, farmers are finding it harder to sustain a living, battling with a combination of severe water shortages and shrinking arable land.<\/p>\n<p>According to the World Bank, there is only 97 cubic metres of water available per capita per year, significantly lower than the absolute water scarcity threshold of 500 m3 per capita per year. This meagre water supply has been overstretched over the past decade by population growth and an influx of refugees. Some parts of Jordan get access to water once every week or two weeks.<\/p>\n<p>For many refugees, who make up a third of Jordan\u2019s population of roughly 11 million people, agriculture remains their only option for an income.<\/p>\n<p>Living in one of the most impoverished and crammed <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2022//12//04//inside-the-refugee-camp-using-solar-power-and-hydroponics-to-grow-thousands-of-fruit-and-v/">refugee camps<\/strong><\/a> in Jordan, and unable to find a job with his nursing degree due to his visa status, Palestinian refugee Mohammad Syam learned of hydroponic farming from another camp resident. Educating himself via YouTube videos, he then launched Senara in 2020, a company that trains refugees on hydroponic farming.<\/p>\n<p>Al-Qadi is one of 49 refugees Syam has trained to operate hydroponic gardens. Senara also trained 34 refugees on how to build the systems, and helped install 164 rooftop systems, most of which are in crowded refugee camps where traditional farming methods would have been impossible.<\/p>\n<p>45-year-old Subhi Shehab, a Syrian refugee and father of six children, was unable to keep a job due to health impediments. Receiving training from an international organisation on hydroponics, he has been able to grow bell peppers and tomatoes, making \u20ac913 over the past four months.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-widget-related\" data-stories-id=\"7535608,7298588\" data-event=\"widget_related\">\n <div class=\"c-widget-related__title\">\n <b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\" lang=\"en\">Related<\/b>\n <\/div>\n <ul class=\"c-widget-related__list\">\n <li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//12//29//here-are-all-the-positive-environmental-stories-from-2023-so-far/">From wind-powered islands to urban forests: Positive environmental stories from 2023<\/a><\/li><li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//04//16//now-we-can-breathe-a-little-how-gaza-is-bringing-its-wetlands-back-to-life/">/u2018Now we can breathe a little\u2019: How Gaza is bringing its wetlands back to life<\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>Is hydroponic farming too expensive?<\/h2>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-ease-in-up widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//86//34//12//808x454_cmsv2_aacb83d1-086f-5e45-bd95-e94ff6cec94e-7863412.jpg/" alt=\"Shefa\u2019a Qudeh\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/384x216_cmsv2_aacb83d1-086f-5e45-bd95-e94ff6cec94e-7863412.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/640x360_cmsv2_aacb83d1-086f-5e45-bd95-e94ff6cec94e-7863412.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/750x422_cmsv2_aacb83d1-086f-5e45-bd95-e94ff6cec94e-7863412.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/828x466_cmsv2_aacb83d1-086f-5e45-bd95-e94ff6cec94e-7863412.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/1080x608_cmsv2_aacb83d1-086f-5e45-bd95-e94ff6cec94e-7863412.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/1200x675_cmsv2_aacb83d1-086f-5e45-bd95-e94ff6cec94e-7863412.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/1920x1080_cmsv2_aacb83d1-086f-5e45-bd95-e94ff6cec94e-7863412.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">The steep upfront cost of setting up hydroponic tents is one major hindering factor for the spread of this method of farming.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Shefa\u2019a Qudeh<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Though grateful for their hydroponic tents, the farmers noted that high upfront costs is the main challenge for getting into this kind of <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2022//06//09//world-s-largest-vertical-farm-is-being-built-in-the-uk-and-it-s-the-size-of-96-tennis-cour/">farming./n
To build a single plastic tent like Muhammad\u2019s, it costs around 7,000 Libyan dinars (around \u20ac1,344). That\u2019s because many of the components are imported, and the tents require refrigerants to keep the plants and water cool enough to thrive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe refrigerants that have to be added to the hydroponic houses in southern Libya cost a lot of money, since the temperature is so high,\u201d said Green Paradise\u2019s Bisheya.<\/p>\n<p>Al-Qadi, unable to afford a refrigerant, fitted her tent with a grant-funded fan to control its temperature, but said it is limited in impact.<\/p>\n<p>Because of the relatively high cost, the systems are largely dependent on grants from international organisations like the United Nations Development Program, World Food Programme and others.<\/p>\n<p>Steep initial expenses and lack of awareness and education are among the factors which Tawfic says are hindering the spread of hydroponics as a \u201crelatively new technique in the MENA [Middle East and North Africa] region\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>A lack of legislation guiding and regulating this practice also leaves <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2022//11//24//we-are-represented-by-laptop-farmers-inside-the-un-summit-that-could-have-fixed-the-food-c/">farmers exposed to unprofessional service providers, he adds.<\/p>\n<p>Despite such odds, hydroponics is still gaining popularity in the region.<\/p>\n<p><em>This article was published in collaboration with <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.egab.co///" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\"><strong>Egab<\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1693568885,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1693674005,"firstPublishedAt":1693571602,"lastPublishedAt":1693914598,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_f9f1bc1a-6897-5377-9c6b-d87da25f6908-7863412.jpg","altText":"Mohamed Syam, Palestinian refugee in Jordan, teaches fellow refugees the techniques of hydroponics, enabling them to make a decent living.","caption":"Mohamed Syam, Palestinian refugee in Jordan, teaches fellow refugees the techniques of hydroponics, enabling them to make a decent living.","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Shefa\u2019a Qudeh","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_af208565-b66b-56ef-a4bb-83bc0d3a6221-7863412.jpg","altText":"Since its launch in 2020, Green Paradise has trained over 120 farmers in Libya on hydroponics. ","caption":"Since its launch in 2020, Green Paradise has trained over 120 farmers in Libya on hydroponics. ","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Seraj Bisheya","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1440,"height":1080},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_aacb83d1-086f-5e45-bd95-e94ff6cec94e-7863412.jpg","altText":"The steep upfront cost of setting up hydroponic tents is one major hindering factor for the spread of this method of farming.","caption":"The steep upfront cost of setting up hydroponic tents is one major hindering factor for the spread of this method of farming.","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Shefa\u2019a Qudeh","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/86\/34\/12\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_d6b72b8e-db49-5c44-aced-3674f5a52168-7863412.jpg","altText":"Only 2 per cent of Libyan land gets enough rain to support traditional agriculture, making hydroponic farming an ideal alternative.","caption":"Only 2 per cent of Libyan land gets enough rain to support traditional agriculture, making hydroponic farming an ideal alternative.","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Seraj Bisheya","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":1200}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":161,"slug":"jordan","urlSafeValue":"jordan","title":"Jordan","titleRaw":"Jordan"},{"id":9513,"slug":"water-shortage","urlSafeValue":"water-shortage","title":"Water shortage","titleRaw":"Water shortage"},{"id":9509,"slug":"water-resources","urlSafeValue":"water-resources","title":"Water resources","titleRaw":"Water resources"},{"id":12538,"slug":"farming","urlSafeValue":"farming","title":"farming","titleRaw":"farming"},{"id":319,"slug":"agriculture","urlSafeValue":"agriculture","title":"Agriculture","titleRaw":"Agriculture"},{"id":20450,"slug":"canicule","urlSafeValue":"canicule","title":"Heatwave","titleRaw":"Heatwave"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"image","count":3},{"slug":"quotation","count":1},{"slug":"related","count":4}],"related":[],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"hasExternalVideo":0,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":0,"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Hendia al-Ashepy and Shefa\u2019a Qudah","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"eco-innovation","urlSafeValue":"eco-innovation","title":"Eco-Innovation","online":0,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/eco-innovation\/eco-innovation"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"green","verticals":[{"id":8,"slug":"green","urlSafeValue":"green","title":"Green"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":8,"slug":"green","urlSafeValue":"green","title":"Green"},"themes":[{"id":"eco-innovation","urlSafeValue":"eco-innovation","title":"Eco-Innovation","url":"\/green\/eco-innovation"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":37,"urlSafeValue":"eco-innovation","title":"Eco-Innovation"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','gb_safe_from_high','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_ukraine-russia','pos_ukrainecrisis','gs_science','gs_fooddrink','gs_science_geography','gs_busfin','progressivemedia','gs_busfin_indus','gs_science_environ','gs_science_environment','gs_business_agri','neg_mobkoi_castrol','castrol_negative_uk','neg_pmi','shadow9hu7_pos_pmi','neg_bucherer','gb_sensitive_high_med','gb_sensitive_high_med_low','gb_sensitive_news-ent'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/green\/2023\/09\/02\/libya-and-jordan-how-big-a-solution-is-hydroponics-in-two-of-the-worlds-driest-countries","lastModified":1693914598},{"id":2356618,"cid":7852996,"versionId":2,"archive":0,"housenumber":"230828_NWSU_52895645","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"WEB: Libya\u2019s foreign minister suspended after meeting with Israel\u2019s chief diplomat","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Libya\u2019s foreign minister suspended after contact with Israel sparks protests","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Libya suspends foreign minister after Israel contact sparks protests","titleListing2":"Libya\u2019s foreign minister suspended after contact with Israel sparks protests","leadin":"Libya's pro-Palestinian government has launched an inquiry, as both countries dispute the nature of their contact.","summary":"Libya's pro-Palestinian government has launched an inquiry, as both countries dispute the nature of their contact.","keySentence":"","url":"libyas-foreign-minister-suspended-after-contact-with-israel-sparks-protests","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/08\/28\/libyas-foreign-minister-suspended-after-contact-with-israel-sparks-protests","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Libyan foreign minister\u00a0Najla al-Mangoush has been suspended,\u00a0following the announcement of a meeting last week with his Israeli counterpart which provoked demonstrations in Tripoli and other Libyan cities. \n\nAn \"administrative investigation\" by a commission chaired by the Minister of Justice has been launched, according to Libyan Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah's government.\u00a0 \n\nOn Sunday, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen revealed he had held \"unprecedented\" talks with his Libyan counterpart in Rome last week. \n\n\"I spoke with the foreign minister about the great potential of relations between the two countries,\" Cohen was quoted as saying in a statement from his office. \n\n\"What happened in Rome was a chance and unofficial meeting... which did not involve any discussion, agreement or consultation\", reacted the Libyan Foreign Ministry in a statement. \n\nMangoush reiterated \"in a clear and unambiguous manner Libya's position with regard to the Palestinian cause\", it added, maintaining the minister\u00a0had \"refused to hold talks with any party representing the Israeli entity\" and \"remained categorically firm on this position\". \n\nThe Libyan ministry also denounced the \"exploitation by the Hebrew and international media\" of this \"incident\", which they are trying to present as \"a meeting or talks\". \n\nLibya, which has been plunged into chaos since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel. \n\nFollowing Israel's announcement of the meeting, the Libyan Presidential Council (PC), a body with certain executive powers, demanded clarification from the government. \n\nThe Israeli minister said he discussed with Mrs Mangoush \"the importance of preserving the heritage of Libyan Judaism by repairing the synagogues and Jewish cemeteries in that country\". \n\nThis is a \"first step in relations between Israel and Libya\", he continued, feeling that \"Libya's size and strategic position offer a huge opportunity for the State of Israel\".\u00a0 \n\nThe meeting took place under the auspices of Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, according to the Israeli press release. \n\nMost of Libya's Jewish population left the country in the 20 years following the Second World War, mainly going to Israel. \n\nA few hundred Jews were still living in Libya at the time of Muammar Gaddafi's coup d'\u00e9tat in 1969. He then expelled them, confiscated their property and destroyed their synagogues. \n\nIn recent years, Israel has normalised its relations with certain Arab nations under the Abraham Accords. However, the current policies of Benjamin Netanyahu's government have been criticised by Arab countries. \n\nSpontaneous protests broke out on Sunday in Tripoli and several of the capital's suburbs as a sign of rejection of normalisation with Israel, before spreading to other cities where young people cut off roads, burnt tyres and waved the Palestinian flag. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Libyan foreign minister\u00a0Najla al-Mangoush has been suspended,\u00a0following the announcement of a meeting last week with his Israeli counterpart which provoked demonstrations in Tripoli and other Libyan cities.<\/p>\n<p>An \"administrative investigation\" by a commission chaired by the Minister of Justice has been launched, according to Libyan Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah's government.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>On Sunday, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen revealed he had held \"unprecedented\" talks with his Libyan counterpart in Rome last week.<\/p>\n<p>\"I spoke with the foreign minister about the great potential of relations between the two countries,\" Cohen was quoted as saying in a statement from his office.<\/p>\n<p>\"What happened in Rome was a chance and unofficial meeting... which did not involve any discussion, agreement or consultation\", reacted the Libyan Foreign Ministry in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>Mangoush reiterated \"in a clear and unambiguous manner Libya's position with regard to the Palestinian cause\", it added, maintaining the minister\u00a0had \"refused to hold talks with any party representing the Israeli entity\" and \"remained categorically firm on this position\".<\/p>\n<p>The Libyan ministry also denounced the \"exploitation by the Hebrew and international media\" of this \"incident\", which they are trying to present as \"a meeting or talks\".<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-widget-related\" data-stories-id=\"7852138\" data-event=\"widget_related\">\n <div class=\"c-widget-related__title\">\n <b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\" lang=\"en\">Related<\/b>\n <\/div>\n <ul class=\"c-widget-related__list\">\n <li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//08//28//libyans-protest-at-ministers-meeting-with-israeli-counterpart/">Libyans protest at minister's meeting with Israeli counterpart <\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Libya, which has been plunged into chaos since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel.<\/p>\n<p>Following Israel's announcement of the meeting, the Libyan Presidential Council (PC), a body with certain executive powers, demanded clarification from the government.<\/p>\n<p>The Israeli minister said he discussed with Mrs Mangoush \"the importance of preserving the heritage of Libyan Judaism by repairing the synagogues and Jewish cemeteries in that country\".<\/p>\n<p>This is a \"first step in relations between Israel and Libya\", he continued, feeling that \"Libya's size and strategic position offer a huge opportunity for the State of Israel\".\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The meeting took place under the auspices of Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, according to the Israeli press release.<\/p>\n<p>Most of Libya's Jewish population left the country in the 20 years following the Second World War, mainly going to Israel.<\/p>\n<p>A few hundred Jews were still living in Libya at the time of Muammar Gaddafi's coup d'\u00e9tat in 1969. He then expelled them, confiscated their property and destroyed their synagogues.<\/p>\n<p>In recent years, Israel has normalised its relations with certain Arab nations under the Abraham Accords. However, the current policies of Benjamin Netanyahu's government have been criticised by Arab countries.<\/p>\n<p>Spontaneous protests broke out on Sunday in Tripoli and several of the capital's suburbs as a sign of rejection of normalisation with Israel, before spreading to other cities where young people cut off roads, burnt tyres and waved the Palestinian flag.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1693225663,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1693228349,"firstPublishedAt":1693228351,"lastPublishedAt":1693229650,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/85\/29\/96\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_46728436-f552-5371-97d9-4b862d986268-7852996.jpg","altText":"Libyans burn tyres as they protest in Tripoli ","caption":"Libyans burn tyres as they protest in Tripoli ","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Mahmud TURKIA \/ 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ISRAEL FM MEETING PROTEST","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Libyans protest at minister's meeting with Israeli counterpart ","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Libyans protest at minister's meeting with Israeli counterpart ","titleListing2":"Libyans protest at minister's meeting with Israeli counterpart ","leadin":"Crowds of demonstrators across Libya have protested after the country's foreign minister held discussions with her Israeli counterpart","summary":"Crowds of demonstrators across Libya have protested after the country's foreign minister held discussions with her Israeli counterpart","keySentence":"","url":"libyans-protest-at-ministers-meeting-with-israeli-counterpart","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/08\/28\/libyans-protest-at-ministers-meeting-with-israeli-counterpart","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Angry demonstrations took place in the city of Al Zawiya, west of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, Sunday evening, over the meeting of the Libyan Minister of Foreign Affairs of the National Unity Government with her Israeli counterpart. \n\nTalks between\u00a0Najla al-Mangoush and Israeli Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, took place secretly last week in Rome sparking anger and controversy throughout the country. \n\nLibyan citizens condemned the meeting, which they described as \"normalisation with an enemy.\"\u00a0 \n\nOne of the country's rival prime ministers, Abdulhamid Dbeibah, has suspended al-Mangoush.\u00a0 \n\nThe Libyan foreign ministry described it as a \"chance and unofficial encounter\", but news of the meeting had already led to street protests in several Libyan cities. \n\nAn Israeli statement described the meeting as the first such diplomatic initiative between the two countries. \n\n'Chance encounter' \n\n\"I spoke with the foreign minister about the great potential for the two countries from their relations,\" Cohen said. \n\nBut the Libyan foreign ministry said Mangoush had \"refused to meet with any party\" representing Israel. \n\n\"What happened in Rome was a chance and unofficial encounter, during a meeting with his Italian counterpart, which did not involve any discussion, agreement or consultation,\" Libyan officials added.\u00a0 \n\nThe minister said she had reiterated \"in a clear and unambiguous manner Libya's position regarding the Palestinian cause\", the statement said. \n\nBut news of the meeting sparked protests in some Libyan cities.\u00a0Large numbers of residents in Libyan cities, including Tripoli, Misrata, Yefren and Zlitan, protested by setting tires on fire, blocking main roads and burning Israeli flags.\u00a0\u00a0 \n\nIn Israel's foreign ministry statement, Cohen was quoted as saying the two discussed \"the importance of preserving the heritage of Libyan Jews, which includes renovating synagogues and Jewish cemeteries in the country.\" \n\n\"Libya's size and strategic location offer a huge opportunity for the State of Israel,\" he added. \n\nSince the former leader\u00a0Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed in 2011 by a NATO-backed uprising, the country has been plunged into more than a decade of chaos and lawlessness. \n\nThe country is split politically with rival administrations - the Tripoli government in the west and another in the east, backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Angry demonstrations took place in the city of Al Zawiya, west of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, Sunday evening, over the meeting of the Libyan Minister of Foreign Affairs of the National Unity Government with her Israeli counterpart.<\/p>\n<p>Talks between\u00a0Najla al-Mangoush and Israeli Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, took place secretly last week in Rome sparking anger and controversy throughout the country.<\/p>\n<p>Libyan citizens condemned the meeting, which they described as \"normalisation with an enemy.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One of the country's rival prime ministers, Abdulhamid Dbeibah, has suspended al-Mangoush.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Libyan foreign ministry described it as a \"chance and unofficial encounter\", but news of the meeting had already led to street protests in several Libyan cities.<\/p>\n<p>An Israeli statement described the meeting as the first such diplomatic initiative between the two countries.<\/p>\n<h2>'Chance encounter'<\/h2>\n<p>\"I spoke with the foreign minister about the great potential for the two countries from their relations,\" Cohen said.<\/p>\n<p>But the Libyan foreign ministry said Mangoush had \"refused to meet with any party\" representing Israel.<\/p>\n<p>\"What happened in Rome was a chance and unofficial encounter, during a meeting with his Italian counterpart, which did not involve any discussion, agreement or consultation,\" Libyan officials added.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The minister said she had reiterated \"in a clear and unambiguous manner Libya's position regarding the Palestinian cause\", the statement said.<\/p>\n<p>But news of the meeting sparked protests in some Libyan cities.\u00a0Large numbers of residents in Libyan cities, including Tripoli, Misrata, Yefren and Zlitan, protested by setting tires on fire, blocking main roads and burning Israeli flags.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In Israel's foreign ministry statement, Cohen was quoted as saying the two discussed \"the importance of preserving the heritage of Libyan Jews, which includes renovating synagogues and Jewish cemeteries in the country.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"Libya's size and strategic location offer a huge opportunity for the State of Israel,\" he added.<\/p>\n<p>Since the former leader\u00a0Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed in 2011 by a NATO-backed uprising, the country has been plunged into more than a decade of chaos and lawlessness.<\/p>\n<p>The country is split politically with rival administrations - the Tripoli government in the west and another in the east, backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1693210040,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1693213918,"firstPublishedAt":1693213922,"lastPublishedAt":1693213922,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/85\/21\/46\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_78d4aa8c-d6e9-5811-866a-bfd929d822c3-7852146.jpg","altText":"Protests in Libya ","caption":"Protests in Libya ","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Yousef Murad\/Copyright 2023 The AP. All rights reserved.","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"height":768}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"id":1070,"urlSafeValue":"churm","title":"Philip Andrew Churm","twitter":"@TheChurm"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":28410,"slug":"power-struggle","urlSafeValue":"power-struggle","title":"power struggle","titleRaw":"power struggle"},{"id":7899,"slug":"bilateral-meetings","urlSafeValue":"bilateral-meetings","title":"Bilateral meetings","titleRaw":"Bilateral meetings"},{"id":9353,"slug":"israeli-politics","urlSafeValue":"israeli-politics","title":"Israeli politics","titleRaw":"Israeli politics"},{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"}],"widgets":[],"related":[{"id":2336068},{"id":2343670},{"id":1259790}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":{"youtubeId":"t6sBClSQ35g","dailymotionId":"x8nj1or"},"hasExternalVideo":1,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":1,"video":1,"videos":[{"format":"mp4","quality":"md","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/NW\/SU\/23\/08\/28\/en\/230828_NWSU_52892200_52892232_45000_120421_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":45000,"filesizeBytes":5650641,"expiresAt":0},{"format":"mp4","quality":"hd","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/EN\/NW\/SU\/23\/08\/28\/en\/230828_NWSU_52892200_52892232_45000_120421_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":45000,"filesizeBytes":8409809,"expiresAt":0},{"format":"mp4","quality":"1080p","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/1080p\/EN\/NW\/SU\/23\/08\/28\/en\/230828_NWSU_52892200_52892232_45000_120422_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":45000,"filesizeBytes":28930257,"expiresAt":0}],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"AFP","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":{"id":2183,"urlSafeValue":"tripolis","title":"Tripolis"},"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','gb_safe','gb_safe_from_high','gb_safe_from_high_med','gs_science','gs_politics','gs_science_geography','gs_politics_issues_policy','gs_politics_misc','gs_news','gs_news_and_weather','gs_science_weather'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2023\/08\/28\/libyans-protest-at-ministers-meeting-with-israeli-counterpart","lastModified":1693213922},{"id":2252526,"cid":7544242,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"230418_WBWB_51292733","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"VIEW LIBYA CROWN PRINCE","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"As its Crown Prince, I want to see a new, democratic Libya and a stronger Europe","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"As its Crown Prince, I want to see a new Libya \u2014 and a stronger Europe","titleListing2":"VIEW | With the country remaining unstable, having suffered through two brutal civil wars, there is no apparent path forward because external actors have not understood that Libyans are the key to lasting peace in their country, Mohammed el-Senussi writes.","leadin":"With the country remaining fractious and unstable, having suffered through two brutal civil wars, there is no apparent path forward because external actors have not understood that Libyans are the key to lasting peace in their country, Mohammed el-Senussi writes.","summary":"With the country remaining fractious and unstable, having suffered through two brutal civil wars, there is no apparent path forward because external actors have not understood that Libyans are the key to lasting peace in their country, Mohammed el-Senussi writes.","keySentence":"","url":"as-its-crown-prince-i-want-to-see-a-new-democratic-libya-and-a-stronger-europe","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/04\/19\/as-its-crown-prince-i-want-to-see-a-new-democratic-libya-and-a-stronger-europe","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"As war rages on in Europe and looms elsewhere, Libya and Libyans are facing yet another choice and another potential cataclysm.\u00a0 \n\nI know my countrymen can prevent another conflict and create a durable system reflective of Libyan history, culture, and values that is authentically and vibrantly democratic.\u00a0 \n\nWithout engagement, however, at every level of Libyan society and the support of international partners, Libya risks losing again its opportunity to join the family of free nations as its people have always craved. \n\n\nUnlike nearly every other state in the Middle East and North Africa, Libya emerged organically as a democracy.\u00a0 \n\nIt is not a primordial nation, stemming from some deep-seated concept of Libyan-ness that stretches back 10 thousand years.\u00a0 Indeed, the concept of Libyan identity does not rest upon such an eternal justification.\u00a0 \n\nRather, Libyans chose to exist.\u00a0 \n\nUnity and democracy are deeply rooted in Libya's history \n\nThey were forged out of North African chaos in the 19th century when Libyans collectively decided to resist the brigandage that defined their territory and reject the slave-trading emirs of the southern Mediterranean coastline.\u00a0 \n\nIn turn, Libyans fought for their identity, their right to be defined as a people with an ambition to live peacefully and prosperously, resisting colonial occupation and Nazism in equal measure. \n\nMy late father, Hasan el-Senussi, Libya\u2019s Crown Prince, is key to this lineage of nationhood, as is our family. Our family history is one of tenacious defence of the Libyan nation.\u00a0 \n\nHis predecessor, the Libyan King Idris, presented Libyans with a choice after World War II. They chose unity, bringing together the region\u2019s three political subdivisions into one kingdom.\u00a0 \n\nAnd they chose \u2014 with the full endorsement and utter personal commitment of their new king, his advisors, and his family\u00a0\u2014 a democratic constitution, one that protected the rights of minorities and guaranteed freedom of conscience.\u00a0 \n\nThey created the structure within which parliamentary democracy and representative government could flourish. \n\nAs a kingdom, Libya was democratic to the core \n\nThis makes Libya unique. Idris did not assent to concessions on his royal prerogative.\u00a0 \n\nIndeed, Idris never considered himself to be a monarch with any sort of fundamental right to power.\u00a0 \n\nHe was the leader of the Senussi order, the Sufi religious order that came to Libya more than a century before and that had earned the trust of Libyans through their honesty, even-handedness, and tenacious defence of their independence from foreign domination.\u00a0 \n\nThe fact that an independent Libya was a kingdom did not contradict its democratic essence. \n\n\nRather, the Libyan monarchy was a fundamental part of Libyan democracy embedded into a constitutional political framework that matched Libyan history, culture, and political will.\u00a0 \n\nIt was the unifying symbol of national identity that made a functioning democracy possible.\u00a0 \n\nLibya\u2019s troubles since the 1969 coup stem from the elimination of this democracy.\u00a0 \n\nYet Libyans still remember their democratic instincts, even though a decade has passed since the 2011 revolution, with the country remaining fractious and unstable, having suffered through two brutal civil wars. \n\nInternational peace initiatives have failed because they ignored Libya's history \n\nThere is no apparent path forward because external actors have not understood that Libyans are the key to lasting peace in their country.\u00a0 \n\nMultiple political initiatives have failed to generate a constructive settlement precisely because they have all ignored Libyan history.\u00a0 \n\nUsing an authentically Libyan consultative mechanism, headed by a Libyan, and employing a ready-made template for the country's stability in the pre-1969 Constitution would be a far more effective approach. \n\nIndeed, all polling and public sentiment indicate the pre-1969 Constitution remains highly popular amongst Libyans, and King Idris continues to be revered as the father of the Libyan nation.\u00a0 \n\nLibya\u2019s democratic constitutional monarchy need not win back popular support; that support already exists. \n\nThe most effective way for the European powers to support the development of a democratic Libya is through the modification of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF).\u00a0 \n\nThe Libyan question is also European \n\nThe EU should consider backing a new forum that explicitly includes the pre-1969 Constitution as its objective and has a variety of consultative mechanisms within it for a long-term transition period. \n\nEurope must take the lead internationally, for the Libyan question is indelibly European.\u00a0 Libyan history is bound up with Europe's.\u00a0 \n\nNot only did European imperial and fascist powers hope to conquer Libya.\u00a0 The Libyan people also ultimately stood alongside f ree Europe in its fight against fascism.\u00a0 \n\nHence the establishment of a democratic Libya in 1951 stems, much like the resurrection of the French Republic and the creation of Western Germany, from the victory of democracy over tyranny in Europe. \n\nLibya\u2019s European linkages continued throughout the past century as it became a major energy exporter to the continent. \n\nThe current situation demonstrates the dangers of a hostile or divided Libya. If Libya again suffers under dictatorship, it will inevitably become aligned with the authoritarian revisionist powers that will use the country\u2019s resources as a pawn in their geopolitical games.\u00a0 \n\nEurope can't keep turning a blind eye until North Africa blows up once more \n\nBut more likely, and more dangerous, is another spasm of violence that destroys Libyan hope for the future and provides further space for extremists, sectarians, and private militias alike, sparking yet another refugee crisis as well as a security crisis across the region that sits on the southern shores of Europe. \n\nWar has defined the past year. It will again define this one as the world enters another period of military contestation and ideological rivalry.\u00a0 \n\nEurope must seize the opportunity to ensure North African democratic stability, not ignore the problem until it explodes once again.\u00a0 \n\nStrategic ignorance will not only condemn the people of Libya to further suffering. It will do the same to Europe. \n\nHRH Mohammed el-Senussi is the Crown Prince of Libya and an active commentator on Libyan affairs since the start of the Libyan Civil War. \n\nAt Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation. \n\n\n","htmlText":"<p>As war rages on in Europe and looms elsewhere, Libya and Libyans are facing yet another choice and another potential cataclysm.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I know my countrymen can prevent another conflict and create a durable system reflective of Libyan history, culture, and values that is authentically and vibrantly democratic.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Without engagement, however, at every level of Libyan society and the support of international partners, Libya risks losing again its opportunity to join the family of free nations as its people have always craved. <\/p>\n<p>Unlike nearly every other state in the Middle East and North Africa, Libya emerged organically as a democracy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It is not a primordial nation, stemming from some deep-seated concept of Libyan-ness that stretches back 10 thousand years.\u00a0Indeed, the concept of Libyan identity does not rest upon such an eternal justification.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Rather, Libyans chose to exist.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Unity and democracy are deeply rooted in Libya's history<\/h2>\n<p>They were forged out of North African chaos in the 19th century when Libyans collectively decided to resist the brigandage that defined their territory and reject the slave-trading emirs of the southern Mediterranean coastline.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In turn, Libyans fought for their identity, their right to be defined as a people with an ambition to live peacefully and prosperously, resisting colonial occupation and Nazism in equal measure.<\/p>\n<p>My late father, Hasan el-Senussi, Libya\u2019s Crown Prince, is key to this lineage of nationhood, as is our family. Our family history is one of tenacious defence of the Libyan nation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-quotation\n widget--size-fullwidth\n widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__content\">\n <blockquote class=\"widget__quote\">\n <span class=\"widget__quoteText\">They chose ... a democratic constitution, one that protected the rights of minorities and guaranteed freedom of conscience.<\/span>\n <\/blockquote>\n <cite class=\"widget__author\">\n <\/cite>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//54//42//42//808x539_cmsv2_93be00bc-4eef-5416-8a05-4f276ef6d0fd-7544242.jpg/" alt=\"Francois Mori\/AP\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/384x256_cmsv2_93be00bc-4eef-5416-8a05-4f276ef6d0fd-7544242.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/640x427_cmsv2_93be00bc-4eef-5416-8a05-4f276ef6d0fd-7544242.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/750x500_cmsv2_93be00bc-4eef-5416-8a05-4f276ef6d0fd-7544242.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/828x552_cmsv2_93be00bc-4eef-5416-8a05-4f276ef6d0fd-7544242.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/1080x720_cmsv2_93be00bc-4eef-5416-8a05-4f276ef6d0fd-7544242.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/1200x800_cmsv2_93be00bc-4eef-5416-8a05-4f276ef6d0fd-7544242.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/1920x1281_cmsv2_93be00bc-4eef-5416-8a05-4f276ef6d0fd-7544242.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Libyan fighter shows a graffiti they wrote on a wall in Al Ajaylat, 120 km west of Tripoli, 7 September 2011<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Francois Mori\/AP<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>His predecessor, the Libyan King Idris, presented Libyans with a choice after World War II. They chose unity, bringing together the region\u2019s three political subdivisions into one kingdom.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And they chose \u2014 with the full endorsement and utter personal commitment of their new king, his advisors, and his family\u00a0\u2014 a democratic constitution, one that protected the rights of minorities and guaranteed freedom of conscience.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They created the structure within which parliamentary democracy and representative government could flourish.<\/p>\n<h2>As a kingdom, Libya was democratic to the core<\/h2>\n<p>This makes Libya unique. Idris did not assent to concessions on his royal prerogative.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, Idris never considered himself to be a monarch with any sort of fundamental right to power.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He was the leader of the Senussi order, the Sufi religious order that came to Libya more than a century before and that had earned the trust of Libyans through their honesty, even-handedness, and tenacious defence of their independence from foreign domination.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.7333984375\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//54//42//42//808x594_cmsv2_518cdf88-6372-5143-ab8d-3645d202caac-7544242.jpg/" alt=\"AP\/AP1952\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/384x282_cmsv2_518cdf88-6372-5143-ab8d-3645d202caac-7544242.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/640x469_cmsv2_518cdf88-6372-5143-ab8d-3645d202caac-7544242.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/750x550_cmsv2_518cdf88-6372-5143-ab8d-3645d202caac-7544242.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/828x607_cmsv2_518cdf88-6372-5143-ab8d-3645d202caac-7544242.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/1080x792_cmsv2_518cdf88-6372-5143-ab8d-3645d202caac-7544242.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/1200x880_cmsv2_518cdf88-6372-5143-ab8d-3645d202caac-7544242.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/1920x1408_cmsv2_518cdf88-6372-5143-ab8d-3645d202caac-7544242.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">British Royal Navy officers meet Libya's King Idris at his palace in Benghazi, January 1952<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP\/AP1952<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>The fact that an independent Libya was a kingdom did not contradict its democratic essence. <\/p>\n<p>Rather, the Libyan monarchy was a fundamental part of Libyan democracy embedded into a constitutional political framework that matched Libyan history, culture, and political will.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It was the unifying symbol of national identity that made a functioning democracy possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Libya\u2019s troubles since the 1969 coup stem from the elimination of this democracy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Yet Libyans still remember their democratic instincts, even though a decade has passed since the 2011 revolution, with the country remaining fractious and unstable, having suffered through two brutal civil wars.<\/p>\n<h2>International peace initiatives have failed because they ignored Libya's history<\/h2>\n<p>There is no apparent path forward because external actors have not understood that Libyans are the key to lasting peace in their country.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Multiple political initiatives have failed to generate a constructive settlement precisely because they have all ignored Libyan history.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-widget-related\" data-stories-id=\"6738878\" data-event=\"widget_related\">\n <div class=\"c-widget-related__title\">\n <b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\" lang=\"en\">Related<\/b>\n <\/div>\n <ul class=\"c-widget-related__list\">\n <li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2022//05//28//un-report-libya-faces-serious-security-threat-from-foreign-fighters-russia-s-wagner/">UN report: Libya faces serious security threat from foreign fighters, Russia's Wagner<\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Using an authentically Libyan consultative mechanism, headed by a Libyan, and employing a ready-made template for the country's stability in the pre-1969 Constitution would be a far more effective approach.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//54//42//42//808x539_cmsv2_508eb546-c487-5192-a8d9-8140b303ac5b-7544242.jpg/" alt=\"Yousef Murad\/Yousef Murad\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/384x256_cmsv2_508eb546-c487-5192-a8d9-8140b303ac5b-7544242.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/640x427_cmsv2_508eb546-c487-5192-a8d9-8140b303ac5b-7544242.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/750x500_cmsv2_508eb546-c487-5192-a8d9-8140b303ac5b-7544242.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/828x552_cmsv2_508eb546-c487-5192-a8d9-8140b303ac5b-7544242.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/1080x720_cmsv2_508eb546-c487-5192-a8d9-8140b303ac5b-7544242.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/1200x800_cmsv2_508eb546-c487-5192-a8d9-8140b303ac5b-7544242.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/1920x1281_cmsv2_508eb546-c487-5192-a8d9-8140b303ac5b-7544242.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">A demonstrator holds a banner during a protest calling for militants of the two governments to leave their area and to avoid war, in Tripoli, July 2022<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Yousef Murad\/Yousef Murad<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Indeed, all polling and public sentiment indicate the pre-1969 Constitution remains highly popular amongst Libyans, and King Idris continues to be revered as the father of the Libyan nation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Libya\u2019s democratic constitutional monarchy need not win back popular support; that support already exists.<\/p>\n<p>The most effective way for the European powers to support the development of a democratic Libya is through the modification of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF).\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>The Libyan question is also European<\/h2>\n<p>The EU should consider backing a new forum that explicitly includes the pre-1969 Constitution as its objective and has a variety of consultative mechanisms within it for a long-term transition period.<\/p>\n<p>Europe must take the lead internationally, for the Libyan question is indelibly European.\u00a0Libyan history is bound up with Europe's.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Not only did European imperial and fascist powers hope to conquer Libya.\u00a0The Libyan people also ultimately stood alongside free Europe in its fight against fascism.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-quotation\n widget--size-fullwidth\n widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__content\">\n <blockquote class=\"widget__quote\">\n <span class=\"widget__quoteText\">If Libya again suffers under dictatorship, it will inevitably become aligned with the authoritarian revisionist powers that will use the country\u2019s resources as a pawn in their geopolitical games.<\/span>\n <\/blockquote>\n <cite class=\"widget__author\">\n <\/cite>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.791015625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//54//42//42//808x641_cmsv2_7eb99fbf-8a30-558e-92f2-19db4a540809-7544242.jpg/" alt=\"AP\/AP\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/384x304_cmsv2_7eb99fbf-8a30-558e-92f2-19db4a540809-7544242.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/640x506_cmsv2_7eb99fbf-8a30-558e-92f2-19db4a540809-7544242.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/750x593_cmsv2_7eb99fbf-8a30-558e-92f2-19db4a540809-7544242.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/828x655_cmsv2_7eb99fbf-8a30-558e-92f2-19db4a540809-7544242.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/1080x854_cmsv2_7eb99fbf-8a30-558e-92f2-19db4a540809-7544242.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/1200x949_cmsv2_7eb99fbf-8a30-558e-92f2-19db4a540809-7544242.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/1920x1519_cmsv2_7eb99fbf-8a30-558e-92f2-19db4a540809-7544242.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Members of a British tank crew dig into their Christmas pudding during a rest in the drive on Bardia, 5 January 1941<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP\/AP<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Hence the establishment of a democratic Libya in 1951 stems, much like the resurrection of the French Republic and the creation of Western Germany, from the victory of democracy over tyranny in Europe.<\/p>\n<p>Libya\u2019s European linkages continued throughout the past century as it became a major energy exporter to the continent.<\/p>\n<p>The current situation demonstrates the dangers of a hostile or divided Libya. If Libya again suffers under dictatorship, it will inevitably become aligned with the authoritarian revisionist powers that will use the country\u2019s resources as a pawn in their geopolitical games.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Europe can't keep turning a blind eye until North Africa blows up once more<\/h2>\n<p>But more likely, and more dangerous, is another spasm of violence that destroys Libyan hope for the future and provides further space for extremists, sectarians, and private militias alike, sparking yet another refugee crisis as well as a security crisis across the region that sits on the southern shores of Europe.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-widget-related\" data-stories-id=\"7493030\" data-event=\"widget_related\">\n <div class=\"c-widget-related__title\">\n <b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\" lang=\"en\">Related<\/b>\n <\/div>\n <ul class=\"c-widget-related__list\">\n <li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//my-europe//2023//03//28//eu-rejects-un-accusation-it-aided-and-abetted-crimes-against-migrants-in-libya/">EU rejects UN accusation it 'aided and abetted' crimes against migrants in Libya<\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>War has defined the past year. It will again define this one as the world enters another period of military contestation and ideological rivalry.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//54//42//42//808x539_cmsv2_59c4428e-95be-5369-ba65-c7b08b13aef3-7544242.jpg/" alt=\"AP Photo\/Manu Brabo\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/384x256_cmsv2_59c4428e-95be-5369-ba65-c7b08b13aef3-7544242.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/640x427_cmsv2_59c4428e-95be-5369-ba65-c7b08b13aef3-7544242.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/750x500_cmsv2_59c4428e-95be-5369-ba65-c7b08b13aef3-7544242.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/828x552_cmsv2_59c4428e-95be-5369-ba65-c7b08b13aef3-7544242.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/1080x720_cmsv2_59c4428e-95be-5369-ba65-c7b08b13aef3-7544242.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/1200x800_cmsv2_59c4428e-95be-5369-ba65-c7b08b13aef3-7544242.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/1920x1281_cmsv2_59c4428e-95be-5369-ba65-c7b08b13aef3-7544242.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">A sniper from Misrata fires towards the so-called Islamic State militant positions in Sirte, Libya, September 2016<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo\/Manu Brabo<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Europe must seize the opportunity to ensure North African democratic stability, not ignore the problem until it explodes once again.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Strategic ignorance will not only condemn the people of Libya to further suffering. It will do the same to Europe.<\/p>\n<p><em>HRH Mohammed el-Senussi is the Crown Prince of Libya and an active commentator on Libyan affairs since the start of the Libyan Civil War.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>_At Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation.<br>_<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1681850890,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1681889744,"firstPublishedAt":1681858084,"lastPublishedAt":1681889805,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_19bb27a6-c8e3-5588-84fc-67d1076e1b2c-7544242.jpg","altText":"People celebrate the capture in Tripoli of Moammar Gadhafi's son and one-time heir apparent, Seif al-Islam, at the rebel-held town of Benghazi, 22 August 2011","caption":"People celebrate the capture in Tripoli of Moammar Gadhafi's son and one-time heir apparent, Seif al-Islam, at the rebel-held town of Benghazi, 22 August 2011","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Euronews","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_93be00bc-4eef-5416-8a05-4f276ef6d0fd-7544242.jpg","altText":"Libyan fighter shows a graffiti they wrote on a wall in Al Ajaylat, 120 km west of Tripoli, 7 September 2011","caption":"Libyan fighter shows a graffiti they wrote on a wall in Al Ajaylat, 120 km west of Tripoli, 7 September 2011","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Francois Mori\/AP","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"height":683},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_7eb99fbf-8a30-558e-92f2-19db4a540809-7544242.jpg","altText":"Members of a British tank crew dig into their Christmas pudding during a rest in the drive on Bardia, 5 January 1941","caption":"Members of a British tank crew dig into their Christmas pudding during a rest in the drive on Bardia, 5 January 1941","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP\/AP","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"height":810},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_59c4428e-95be-5369-ba65-c7b08b13aef3-7544242.jpg","altText":"A sniper from Misrata fires towards the so-called Islamic State militant positions in Sirte, Libya, September 2016","caption":"A sniper from Misrata fires towards the so-called Islamic State militant positions in Sirte, Libya, September 2016","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Manu Brabo","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"height":683},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_518cdf88-6372-5143-ab8d-3645d202caac-7544242.jpg","altText":"British Royal Navy officers meet Libya's King Idris at his palace in Benghazi, January 1952","caption":"British Royal Navy officers meet Libya's King Idris at his palace in Benghazi, January 1952","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP\/AP1952","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"height":751},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/42\/42\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_508eb546-c487-5192-a8d9-8140b303ac5b-7544242.jpg","altText":"A demonstrator holds a banner during a protest calling for militants of the two governments to leave their area and to avoid war, in Tripoli, July 2022","caption":"A demonstrator holds a banner during a protest calling for militants of the two governments to leave their area and to avoid war, in Tripoli, July 2022","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Yousef Murad\/Yousef Murad","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"height":683}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":22368,"slug":"civil-war-in-libya","urlSafeValue":"civil-war-in-libya","title":"civil war in Libya","titleRaw":"civil war in Libya"},{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"},{"id":10515,"slug":"libyan-war","urlSafeValue":"libyan-war","title":"Libyan war","titleRaw":"Libyan war"},{"id":18938,"slug":"royal-family","urlSafeValue":"royal-family","title":"royal family","titleRaw":"royal family"},{"id":22480,"slug":"euroviews","urlSafeValue":"euroviews","title":"Euroviews","titleRaw":"Euroviews"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"image","count":5},{"slug":"quotation","count":2},{"slug":"related","count":2}],"related":[],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"hasExternalVideo":0,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":0,"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Mohammed el-Senussi, Crown Prince of Libya","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'neg_facebook_2021','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','pos_ukraine-russia','gs_politics','gs_politics_misc','gs_politics_issues_policy','sm_politics','neg_nespresso','neg_mobkoi_castrol','castrol_negative_uk','neg_saudiaramco','gb_terrorism_edu','gb_sensitive_edu','gt_negative','gv_terrorism','gs_busfin','gb_death_injury_news-ent','gb_crime_edu','gs_war_conflict','gb_terrorism_news-ent','gv_military','gs_science_geography','gb_sensitive_news-ent'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet-web","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":1,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2023\/04\/19\/as-its-crown-prince-i-want-to-see-a-new-democratic-libya-and-a-stronger-europe","lastModified":1681889805},{"id":2233522,"cid":7488872,"versionId":2,"archive":0,"housenumber":"230326_NWSU_50978287","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"web - shots fired at rescue ship","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Shots reportedly fired at rescue ship in Mediterranean","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":null,"titleListing2":"Shots reportedly fired at rescue ship in Mediterranean","leadin":"The Ocean Viking was responding to a distress call to help a rubber boat carrying migrants off the Libyan coast.","summary":"The Ocean Viking was responding to a distress call to help a rubber boat carrying migrants off the Libyan coast.","keySentence":"","url":"shots-fired-at-humanitarian-rescue-ship-in-mediterranean","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/03\/26\/shots-fired-at-humanitarian-rescue-ship-in-mediterranean","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Shots were reportedly fired at a humanitarian vessel as it tried to rescue a boat carrying migrants in the Mediterranean on Saturday.\u00a0 \n\nThe Libyan coastguard, trained and financed by the European Union, intercepted the Ocean Viking as it responded to a distress call from a rubber boat carrying some 80 people. \n\nThey approached \"dangerously\" and threatened the crew by \"firing gunshots in the air,\" claimed SOS Mediterranee, which charters and runs the rescue vessel, forcing it to back off.\u00a0 \n\n\u201cYou can\u2019t shoot at us. You can\u2019t shoot at us. We\u2019re leaving the waters now,\u201d a person on the Ocean Viking is heard saying in video footage of the incident.\u00a0 \n\nThe coastguard has not yet responded to a comment request.\u00a0 \n\nAll of the migrants on board were taken back to Libyan soil.\u00a0 \n\nYesterday's incident is the latest in a string of increasingly hostile moves by the Libyan coastguard as it tries to stem the flow of migrants to Europe.\u00a0 \n\nIn January, it prevented an SOS Mediterranee boat from returning after a rescue operation.\u00a0Last year, it threatened to shoot down a monitoring plane owned by the German NGO Sea-Watch.\u00a0 \n\nLibya has in recent years emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants and refugees escaping war, persecution or seeking a better life in Europe.\u00a0 \n\nThe oil-rich country plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. \n\nHuman traffickers have benefited from this chaos, smuggling in migrants across the country's lengthy borders, though some observers point out that if there were more safe and legal routes to enter Europe their business model would not exist.\u00a0 \n\nCrossing the Mediterranean is the most dangerous migration route in the world, according to the International Organisation for Migration. \n\nMore than 26,000 people have either died or gone missing in the sea since 2014, with migrants crammed into rickety rafts that sometimes set off in rough seas. \n\nAccording to figures from the Italian government, migrant arrivals have tripled in the first three months of 2023. \n\nSo far this year, more than 20,000 landed on Italy's shores. Some 6,500 people arrived in Italy during the same period in 2022.\u00a0 \n\nThe Louise Michel rescue ship, financed by the British street artist Banksy, was detained on Friday in waters off the Italian island of Lampedusa after it rescued 180 people in three separate operations.\u00a0 \n\n\u201cWe still do not have an official written justification for the detention,\" it tweeted on Sunday. \"We know of dozens of boats in distress right in front of the island at this very moment, yet we are being prevented from assisting. This is unacceptable.\" \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Shots were reportedly fired at a humanitarian vessel as it tried to rescue a boat carrying migrants in the Mediterranean on Saturday.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Libyan coastguard, trained and financed by the European Union, intercepted the Ocean Viking as it responded to a distress call from a rubber boat carrying some 80 people.<\/p>\n<p>They approached \"dangerously\" and threatened the crew by \"firing gunshots in the air,\" claimed SOS Mediterranee, which charters and runs the rescue vessel, forcing it to back off.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can\u2019t shoot at us. You can\u2019t shoot at us. We\u2019re leaving the waters now,\u201d a person on the Ocean Viking is heard saying in video footage of the incident.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The coastguard has not yet responded to a comment request.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>All of the migrants on board were taken back to Libyan soil.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Yesterday's incident is the latest in a string of increasingly hostile moves by the Libyan coastguard as it tries to stem the flow of migrants to Europe.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In January, it prevented an SOS Mediterranee boat from returning after a rescue operation.\u00a0Last year, it threatened to shoot down a monitoring plane owned by the German NGO Sea-Watch.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Libya has in recent years emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants and refugees escaping war, persecution or seeking a better life in Europe.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-widget-related\" data-stories-id=\"7487940\" data-event=\"widget_related\">\n <div class=\"c-widget-related__title\">\n <b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\" lang=\"en\">Related<\/b>\n <\/div>\n <ul class=\"c-widget-related__list\">\n <li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//03//26//record-breaking-number-of-migrants-reach-italy-in-48-hours/">Record-breaking number of migrants reach Italy in 48 hours<\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>The oil-rich country plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.<\/p>\n<p>Human traffickers have benefited from this chaos, smuggling in migrants across the country's lengthy borders, though some observers point out that if there were more safe and legal routes to enter Europe their business model would not exist.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Crossing the Mediterranean is the most dangerous migration route in the world, according to the International Organisation for Migration.<\/p>\n<p>More than 26,000 people have either died or gone missing in the sea since 2014, with migrants crammed into rickety rafts that sometimes set off in rough seas.<\/p>\n<p>According to figures from the Italian government, migrant arrivals have tripled in the first three months of 2023.<\/p>\n<p>So far this year, more than 20,000 landed on Italy's shores. Some 6,500 people arrived in Italy during the same period in 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Louise Michel rescue ship, financed by the British street artist Banksy, was detained on Friday in waters off the Italian island of Lampedusa after it rescued 180 people in three separate operations.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe still do not have an official written justification for the detention,\" it tweeted on Sunday. \"We know of dozens of boats in distress right in front of the island at this very moment, yet we are being prevented from assisting. This is unacceptable.\"<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1679842086,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1679845563,"firstPublishedAt":1679845568,"lastPublishedAt":1679845640,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/48\/88\/72\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_22005ad9-d9bf-5095-9277-95e330dabc22-7488872.jpg","altText":"Migrants in a wooden boat as they are being rescued, Aug. 27, 2022.","caption":"Migrants in a wooden boat as they are being rescued, Aug. 27, 2022.","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Jeremias Gonzalez\/Copyright 2022 The AP. All rights reserved","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":895,"height":493},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/48\/88\/72\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_3dad5e7d-f5cb-5cae-b8f9-c7bcdfb9ab59-7488872.jpg","altText":"Migrants in a wooden boat as they are being rescued, Aug. 27, 2022.","caption":"Migrants in a wooden boat as they are being rescued, Aug. 27, 2022.","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Jeremias Gonzalez\/Copyright 2022 The AP. All rights reserved","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"height":683}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"},{"id":13190,"slug":"migrants","urlSafeValue":"migrants","title":"Migrants","titleRaw":"Migrants"},{"id":15600,"slug":"search-and-rescue","urlSafeValue":"search-and-rescue","title":"Search and rescue","titleRaw":"Search and rescue"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"related","count":1}],"related":[],"technicalTags":[{"path":"euronews.byenglishwebteam"},{"path":"euronews"}],"externalPartners":[],"hasExternalVideo":0,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":0,"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"AP","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Euronews","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'gb_sensitive_serious','castrol_negative_uk','neg_mobkoi_castrol','neg_facebook_2021','gv_death_injury','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','pos_ukraine-russia','pos_ukrainecrisis','gs_science','neg_facebook_q4','neg_citi_campaign','gv_crime','gb_crime_edu','gs_science_geography','gb_crime_news-ent','gt_negative','gs_society','gs_travel_cruise','gs_travel_type_cruises','gs_travel','gs_travel_type','gv_arms','gb_arms_serious','gb_death_injury_news-ent','gs_society_charity'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2023\/03\/26\/shots-fired-at-humanitarian-rescue-ship-in-mediterranean","lastModified":1679845640},{"id":2187564,"cid":7351380,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"230128_NWSU_50176007","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"LIBYA ITALY PMS MEETING","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Giorgia Meloni visits Tripoli as Libya signs $8bn gas exploration deal with Eni","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Italy's Giorgia Meloni visits Tripoli as $8bn gas deal is signed","titleListing2":"Giorgia Meloni visits Tripoli as Libya signs $8bn gas exploration deal with Eni","leadin":"Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni extended a hand of friendship to Tripoli while also helping to secure her country's energy security. Italian energy giant signed an $8bn gas exploration contract with Libya's state energy company during the visit.","summary":"Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni extended a hand of friendship to Tripoli while also helping to secure her country's energy security. Italian energy giant signed an $8bn gas exploration contract with Libya's state energy company during the visit.","keySentence":"","url":"giorgia-meloni-visits-tripoli-as-libya-signs-8bn-gas-exploration-deal-with-eni","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/01\/28\/giorgia-meloni-visits-tripoli-as-libya-signs-8bn-gas-exploration-deal-with-eni","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Italy\u2019s prime minister held talks in Libya on Saturday with officials from the country\u2019s Tripoli-based government focusing on energy and migration, top issues for Italy and the European Union. \n\n During the visit, the two countries' oil companies signed a gas deal worth $8 billion \n\n(\u20ac7.36bn), the largest single investment in Libya\u2019s energy sector in more than two decades. \n\nLibya is the second North African country that Premier Giorgia Meloni, three months in office, visited this week. She is seeking to secure new supplies of natural gas to replace Russian energy amid Moscow's war on Ukraine. She previously visited Algeria, which has become Italy\u2019s number one energy supplier since Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. \n\nMeloni landed at the Mitiga airport, the only functioning airport in Libya\u2019s capital, Tripoli, amid tight security, accompanied by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, her office said. She met with Abdel Hamid Dbeibah, who heads one of Libya\u2019s rival administrations, and held talks with Mohamed Younis Menfi, who chairs Libya\u2019s ceremonial presidential council. \n\nAt a round-table with Dbeibah, Meloni repeated her remarks from Algeria, saying that while Italy wants to increase its profile in the region, it doesn\u2019t seek a \u201cpredatory\u201d role but wants to help African nations \u201cgrow and become richer.\u201d \n\n$8bn deal to develop Libya's offshore gas \n\nDuring the visit, Claudio Descalzi, the CEO of Italy\u2019s state-run energy company, ENI, signed an $8 billion deal with Libya\u2019s National Oil Corporation to develop two Libyan offshore gas fields. NOC's chairman Farhat Bengdara also signed. \n\nThe agreement involves developing two offshore fields in Block NC-41, north of Libya and ENI said they would start pumping gas in 2026, and estimated to reach 750 million cubic feet per day, the Italian firm said in a statement. \n\nMeloni, who attended the signing ceremony, called the deal \u201csignificant and historic\u201d and said it will help Europe securing energy sources. \n\n\u201cLibya is clearly for us a strategic economic partner,\u201dMeloni said. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Italy\u2019s prime minister held talks in Libya on Saturday with officials from the country\u2019s Tripoli-based government focusing on energy and migration, top issues for Italy and the European Union.<\/p>\n<p>During the visit, the two countries' oil companies signed a gas deal worth $8 billion<\/p>\n<p>(\u20ac7.36bn), the largest single investment in Libya\u2019s energy sector in more than two decades.<\/p>\n<p>Libya is the second North African country that Premier Giorgia Meloni, three months in office, visited this week. She is seeking to secure new supplies of natural gas to replace Russian energy amid Moscow's war on Ukraine. She previously visited Algeria, which has become Italy\u2019s number one energy supplier since Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>Meloni landed at the Mitiga airport, the only functioning airport in Libya\u2019s capital, Tripoli, amid tight security, accompanied by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, her office said. She met with Abdel Hamid Dbeibah, who heads one of Libya\u2019s rival administrations, and held talks with Mohamed Younis Menfi, who chairs Libya\u2019s ceremonial presidential council.<\/p>\n<p>At a round-table with Dbeibah, Meloni repeated her remarks from Algeria, saying that while Italy wants to increase its profile in the region, it doesn\u2019t seek a \u201cpredatory\u201d role but wants to help African nations \u201cgrow and become richer.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>$8bn deal to develop Libya's offshore gas<\/h2>\n<p>During the visit, Claudio Descalzi, the CEO of Italy\u2019s state-run energy company, ENI, signed an $8 billion deal with Libya\u2019s National Oil Corporation to develop two Libyan offshore gas fields. NOC's chairman Farhat Bengdara also signed.<\/p>\n<p>The agreement involves developing two offshore fields in Block NC-41, north of Libya and ENI said they would start pumping gas in 2026, and estimated to reach 750 million cubic feet per day, the Italian firm said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>Meloni, who attended the signing ceremony, called the deal \u201csignificant and historic\u201d and said it will help Europe securing energy sources.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLibya is clearly for us a strategic economic partner,\u201dMeloni said.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1674924225,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1674935145,"firstPublishedAt":1674935150,"lastPublishedAt":1674935150,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/35\/11\/48\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_5e9271ad-046b-5018-8989-c7231348d116-7351148.jpg","altText":"Giorgia Meloni in the Libyan capital Tripoli ","caption":"Giorgia Meloni in the Libyan capital Tripoli ","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Yousef Murad\/Copyright 2023 The AP. All rights reserved.","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"height":683}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"},{"id":158,"slug":"italy","urlSafeValue":"italy","title":"Italy","titleRaw":"Italy"},{"id":27076,"slug":"giorgia-meloni","urlSafeValue":"giorgia-meloni","title":"Giorgia Meloni","titleRaw":"Giorgia Meloni"}],"widgets":[],"related":[{"id":2107174},{"id":2223290},{"id":2356618}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":{"youtubeId":"Ut0my5QbhtM","dailymotionId":"x8hnndb"},"hasExternalVideo":1,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":1,"video":1,"videos":[{"format":"mp4","quality":"md","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/NW\/SU\/23\/01\/28\/en\/230128_NWSU_50176007_50176059_35000_210052_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":35000,"filesizeBytes":4500325,"expiresAt":0},{"format":"mp4","quality":"hd","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/EN\/NW\/SU\/23\/01\/28\/en\/230128_NWSU_50176007_50176059_35000_210052_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":35000,"filesizeBytes":6931813,"expiresAt":0},{"format":"mp4","quality":"1080p","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/1080p\/EN\/NW\/SU\/23\/01\/28\/en\/230128_NWSU_50176007_50176059_35000_210054_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":35000,"filesizeBytes":22763877,"expiresAt":0}],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"AP","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Euronews","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','gb_safe','gs_tech','gs_tech_cameras','gs_tech_consumer','gs_tech_consumer_camera','gs_travel_locations_europe','gs_travel','gs_travel_locations'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2023\/01\/28\/giorgia-meloni-visits-tripoli-as-libya-signs-8bn-gas-exploration-deal-with-eni","lastModified":1674935150},{"id":2152382,"cid":7256690,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"221218_NWSU_49591919","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"WEB LOCKERBIE BOMB SUSPECT DETAILS","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Lockerbie bomb suspect 'held by Libyan militia' before US handover","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Lockerbie bomb suspect 'held by Libyan militia' before US handover","titleListing2":"Lockerbie bomb suspect 'held by Libyan militia' before US handover","leadin":"Lockerbie bomb suspect 'held by Libyan militia' before US handover","summary":"Lockerbie bomb suspect 'held by Libyan militia' before US handover","keySentence":"","url":"lockerbie-bomb-suspect-held-by-libyan-militia-before-us-handover","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2022\/12\/18\/lockerbie-bomb-suspect-held-by-libyan-militia-before-us-handover","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"A Libyan man now in US custody and charged for his alleged role in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in Scotland, was held by Libyan militias for several weeks.\u00a0 \n\nNow questions are being asked about how he ended up in US custody, and what -- if any -- legal procedures were followed to allow his extradition to America. \n\nAround midnight in mid-November, Libyan militiamen in two Toyota pickup trucks arrived at a residential building in a neighborhood of the capital of Tripoli. They stormed the house, bringing out a blindfolded man in his 70s. \n\nTheir target was former Libyan intelligence agent Abu Agila Mohammad Mas\u2019ud Kheir Al-Marimi, wanted by the United States for allegedly making the bomb that brought down New York-bound Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, just days before Christmas in 1988. The attack killed 259 people in the air and 11 on the ground. \n\nWeeks after that night raid in Tripoli, the US announced Mas'ud was in its custody, to the surprise of many in Libya, which has been split between two rival governments, each backed by an array of militias and foreign powers. \n\nAnalysts said the Tripoli-based government responsible for handing over Mas'ud was likely seeking US goodwill and favor amid the power struggles in Libya. \n\nFour Libyan security and government officials with direct knowledge of the operation recounted the journey that ended with Mas'ud in Washington. \n\nThe officials said it started with him being taken from his home in the Abu Salim neighborhood of Tripoli. He was transferred to the coastal city of Misrata and eventually handed over to American agents who flew him out of the country, they said. \n\nThe officials spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. Several said the United States had been exerting pressure for months to see Mas'ud handed over. \n\n\u201cEvery time they communicated, Abu Agila was on the agenda,\u201d one official said. \n\nIn Libya, many questioned the legality of how he was picked up, just months after his release from a Libyan prison, and sent to the US. Libya and the US don\u2019t have a standing agreement on extradition, so there was no obligation to hand Mas\u2019ud over. \n\nThe White House and Justice Department declined to comment on the new details about Mas\u2019ud\u2019s handover. US officials have said privately that in their view, it played out as a by-the-book extradition through an ordinary court process. \n\nA State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with briefing regulations, said Saturday that Mas\u2019ud\u2019s transfer was lawful and described it as a culmination of years of cooperation with Libyan authorities. \n\nSuspect's family complained to Libyan authorities \n\nLibya's chief prosecutor has opened an investigation following a complaint from Mas'ud's family. But for nearly a week after the US announcement, the Tripoli government was silent, while rumors swirled for weeks that Mas'ud had been abducted and sold by militiamen. \n\nAfter public outcry in Libya, the country's Tripoli-based prime minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, acknowledged on Thursday that his government had handed Mas\u2019ud over. In the same speech, he also said that Interpol had issued a warrant for Mas'ud's arrest. A spokesman for Dbeibah's government did not answer calls and messages seeking additional comment. \n\nOn 12 December, the US Department of Justice said it had requested that Interpol issue a warrant for him. \n\nAfter the fall and killing of longtime Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in a 2011 uprising-turned-civil war, Mas'ud, an explosives expert for Libya\u2019s intelligence service, was detained by a militia in western Libya. He served 10 years in prison in Tripoli for crimes related to his position during Gadhafi\u2019s rule. \n\nHe was released in June after completing his sentence. After his release, he was under permanent surveillance and barely left his family home, a military official said. \n\nThe neighborhood is controlled by the Stabilization Support Authority, an umbrella of militias led by warlord Abdel-Ghani al-Kikli, a close ally of Dbeibah. Al-Kikli has been accused by Amnesty International of involvement in war crimes and other serious rights violations over the past decade. \n\nMore than a decade after the death of Gadhafi, Libya remains chaotic and lawless, with militias still holding sway over large territories. The country's security forces are weak, compared to local militias, with which the Dbeibah government is allied to varying degrees.\u00a0 \n\nRaid to capture Mas'ud \n\nThen came the raid in mid-November, which was described by the officials. \n\nMilitiamen rushed into Mas'ud's bedroom and seized him, transporting him blindfolded to a detention center run by the SSA in Tripoli. He was there for two weeks before he was given to another militia in Misrata, known as the Joint Force, which reports directly to Dbeibah. It's a new paramilitary unit established as part of a network of militias that support him. \n\nIn Misrata, Mas'ud was interrogated by Libyan officers in the presence of US intelligence officers, said a Libyan official briefed on the interrogation. Mas'ud declined to answer questions about his alleged role in the Lockerbie attack, including the contents of an interview that the US says he gave to Libyan authorities in 2012 during which he admitted to being the bomb-maker. He insisted his detention and extradition are illegal, the official said. \n\nIn 2017, US officials received a copy of the 2012 interview in which they said Mas'ud admitted building the bomb and working with two other conspirators to carry out the attack on the Pan Am plane. According to an FBI affidavit filed in the case, Mas'ud said that the operation was ordered by Libyan intelligence and that Gadhafi thanked him and other members of the team afterwards. \n\nSome have questioned the legality of Mas'ud's handover, given the role of informal armed groups and a lack of official extradition procedures. \n\nHarchaoui, the analyst, said Mas'ud's extradition signals the US is condoning what he portrayed as lawless behavior. \n\n\u201cWhat the foreign states are doing is that they are saying we don\u2019t care how the sausage is made,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are getting things that we like.\" \n\n","htmlText":"<p>A Libyan man now in US custody and charged for his alleged role in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in Scotland, was held by Libyan militias for several weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Now questions are being asked about how he ended up in US custody, and what -- if any -- legal procedures were followed to allow his extradition to America.<\/p>\n<p>Around midnight in mid-November, Libyan militiamen in two Toyota pickup trucks arrived at a residential building in a neighborhood of the capital of Tripoli. They stormed the house, bringing out a blindfolded man in his 70s.<\/p>\n<p>Their target was former Libyan intelligence agent Abu Agila Mohammad Mas\u2019ud Kheir Al-Marimi, wanted by the United States for allegedly making the bomb that brought down New York-bound Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, just days before Christmas in 1988. The attack killed 259 people in the air and 11 on the ground.<\/p>\n<p>Weeks after that night raid in Tripoli, the US announced Mas'ud was in its custody, to the surprise of many in Libya, which has been split between two rival governments, each backed by an array of militias and foreign powers.<\/p>\n<p>Analysts said the Tripoli-based government responsible for handing over Mas'ud was likely seeking US goodwill and favor amid the power struggles in Libya.<\/p>\n<p>Four Libyan security and government officials with direct knowledge of the operation recounted the journey that ended with Mas'ud in Washington.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-widget-related\" data-stories-id=\"3528486,3527646,2581646\" data-event=\"widget_related\">\n <div class=\"c-widget-related__title\">\n <b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\" lang=\"en\">Related<\/b>\n <\/div>\n <ul class=\"c-widget-related__list\">\n <li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2018//12//21//thirty-years-of-sorrowful-ceremonies-for-lockerbie/">Thirty years of sorrowful ceremonies for Lockerbie<\/a><\/li><li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2015//10//16//lockerbie-families-welcome-identification-of-new-libyan-suspects/">Lockerbie families welcome identification of new Libyan suspects<\/a><\/li><li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2018//12//21//lockerbie-bombing-what-really-brought-it-home-was-when-you-were-picking-up-toys/">Lockerbie bombing: 'What really brought it home was when you were picking up toys'<\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>The officials said it started with him being taken from his home in the Abu Salim neighborhood of Tripoli. He was transferred to the coastal city of Misrata and eventually handed over to American agents who flew him out of the country, they said.<\/p>\n<p>The officials spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. Several said the United States had been exerting pressure for months to see Mas'ud handed over.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery time they communicated, Abu Agila was on the agenda,\u201d one official said.<\/p>\n<p>In Libya, many questioned the legality of how he was picked up, just months after his release from a Libyan prison, and sent to the US. Libya and the US don\u2019t have a standing agreement on extradition, so there was no obligation to hand Mas\u2019ud over.<\/p>\n<p>The White House and Justice Department declined to comment on the new details about Mas\u2019ud\u2019s handover. US officials have said privately that in their view, it played out as a by-the-book extradition through an ordinary court process.<\/p>\n<p>A State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with briefing regulations, said Saturday that Mas\u2019ud\u2019s transfer was lawful and described it as a culmination of years of cooperation with Libyan authorities.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6591796875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//25//66//90//808x532_cmsv2_4ec29290-5a22-535d-a31e-c1c10558b621-7256690.jpg/" alt=\"AP\/AP1988\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/25\/66\/90\/384x253_cmsv2_4ec29290-5a22-535d-a31e-c1c10558b621-7256690.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/25\/66\/90\/640x422_cmsv2_4ec29290-5a22-535d-a31e-c1c10558b621-7256690.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/25\/66\/90\/750x494_cmsv2_4ec29290-5a22-535d-a31e-c1c10558b621-7256690.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/25\/66\/90\/828x546_cmsv2_4ec29290-5a22-535d-a31e-c1c10558b621-7256690.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/25\/66\/90\/1080x712_cmsv2_4ec29290-5a22-535d-a31e-c1c10558b621-7256690.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/25\/66\/90\/1200x791_cmsv2_4ec29290-5a22-535d-a31e-c1c10558b621-7256690.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/25\/66\/90\/1920x1266_cmsv2_4ec29290-5a22-535d-a31e-c1c10558b621-7256690.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">FILE: Area where Pan Am flight 103 came down in Lockerbie, Scotland shown Dec. 26, 1988.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP\/AP1988<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>Suspect's family complained to Libyan authorities<\/h2>\n<p>Libya's chief prosecutor has opened an investigation following a complaint from Mas'ud's family. But for nearly a week after the US announcement, the Tripoli government was silent, while rumors swirled for weeks that Mas'ud had been abducted and sold by militiamen.<\/p>\n<p>After public outcry in Libya, the country's Tripoli-based prime minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, acknowledged on Thursday that his government had handed Mas\u2019ud over. In the same speech, he also said that Interpol had issued a warrant for Mas'ud's arrest. A spokesman for Dbeibah's government did not answer calls and messages seeking additional comment.<\/p>\n<p>On 12 December, the US Department of Justice said it had requested that Interpol issue a warrant for him.<\/p>\n<p>After the fall and killing of longtime Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in a 2011 uprising-turned-civil war, Mas'ud, an explosives expert for Libya\u2019s intelligence service, was detained by a militia in western Libya. He served 10 years in prison in Tripoli for crimes related to his position during Gadhafi\u2019s rule.<\/p>\n<p>He was released in June after completing his sentence. After his release, he was under permanent surveillance and barely left his family home, a military official said.<\/p>\n<p>The neighborhood is controlled by the Stabilization Support Authority, an umbrella of militias led by warlord Abdel-Ghani al-Kikli, a close ally of Dbeibah. Al-Kikli has been accused by Amnesty International of involvement in war crimes and other serious rights violations over the past decade.<\/p>\n<p>More than a decade after the death of Gadhafi, Libya remains chaotic and lawless, with militias still holding sway over large territories. The country's security forces are weak, compared to local militias, with which the Dbeibah government is allied to varying degrees.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.65625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//25//66//90//808x532_cmsv2_f1bc1b35-ff84-5f4a-8232-f51ed245b7c0-7256690.jpg/" alt=\"AP\/AP\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/25\/66\/90\/384x252_cmsv2_f1bc1b35-ff84-5f4a-8232-f51ed245b7c0-7256690.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/25\/66\/90\/640x420_cmsv2_f1bc1b35-ff84-5f4a-8232-f51ed245b7c0-7256690.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/25\/66\/90\/750x492_cmsv2_f1bc1b35-ff84-5f4a-8232-f51ed245b7c0-7256690.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/25\/66\/90\/828x543_cmsv2_f1bc1b35-ff84-5f4a-8232-f51ed245b7c0-7256690.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/25\/66\/90\/1080x709_cmsv2_f1bc1b35-ff84-5f4a-8232-f51ed245b7c0-7256690.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/25\/66\/90\/1200x788_cmsv2_f1bc1b35-ff84-5f4a-8232-f51ed245b7c0-7256690.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/25\/66\/90\/1920x1260_cmsv2_f1bc1b35-ff84-5f4a-8232-f51ed245b7c0-7256690.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">FILE - In this December 1988 file photo, the wreckage of Pan Am Flight 103 is examined after an explosion brought the plane down over Lockerbie, Scotland,<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP\/AP<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>Raid to capture Mas'ud<\/h2>\n<p>Then came the raid in mid-November, which was described by the officials.<\/p>\n<p>Militiamen rushed into Mas'ud's bedroom and seized him, transporting him blindfolded to a detention center run by the SSA in Tripoli. He was there for two weeks before he was given to another militia in Misrata, known as the Joint Force, which reports directly to Dbeibah. It's a new paramilitary unit established as part of a network of militias that support him.<\/p>\n<p>In Misrata, Mas'ud was interrogated by Libyan officers in the presence of US intelligence officers, said a Libyan official briefed on the interrogation. Mas'ud declined to answer questions about his alleged role in the Lockerbie attack, including the contents of an interview that the US says he gave to Libyan authorities in 2012 during which he admitted to being the bomb-maker. He insisted his detention and extradition are illegal, the official said.<\/p>\n<p>In 2017, US officials received a copy of the 2012 interview in which they said Mas'ud admitted building the bomb and working with two other conspirators to carry out the attack on the Pan Am plane. According to an FBI affidavit filed in the case, Mas'ud said that the operation was ordered by Libyan intelligence and that Gadhafi thanked him and other members of the team afterwards.<\/p>\n<p>Some have questioned the legality of Mas'ud's handover, given the role of informal armed groups and a lack of official extradition procedures.<\/p>\n<p>Harchaoui, the analyst, said Mas'ud's extradition signals the US is condoning what he portrayed as lawless behavior.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat the foreign states are doing is that they are saying we don\u2019t care how the sausage is made,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are getting things that we like.\"<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1671358514,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1671389109,"firstPublishedAt":1671389113,"lastPublishedAt":1671389113,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/25\/66\/90\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_9a94fc0f-3f57-5b11-a9c6-0ba14e4449d6-7256690.jpg","altText":"Artist sketch shows suspect Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi in federal court in Washington, Monday, Dec. 12, 2022","caption":"Artist sketch shows suspect Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi in federal court in Washington, Monday, Dec. 12, 2022","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/25\/66\/90\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_f1bc1b35-ff84-5f4a-8232-f51ed245b7c0-7256690.jpg","altText":"FILE - In this December 1988 file photo, the wreckage of Pan Am Flight 103 is examined after an explosion brought the plane down over Lockerbie, Scotland,","caption":"FILE - In this December 1988 file photo, the wreckage of Pan Am Flight 103 is examined after an explosion brought the plane down over Lockerbie, Scotland,","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP\/AP","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"height":672},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/25\/66\/90\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_4ec29290-5a22-535d-a31e-c1c10558b621-7256690.jpg","altText":"FILE: Area where Pan Am flight 103 came down in Lockerbie, Scotland shown Dec. 26, 1988. ","caption":"FILE: Area where Pan Am flight 103 came down in Lockerbie, Scotland shown Dec. 26, 1988. ","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP\/AP1988","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"height":675}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"},{"id":7990,"slug":"scotland","urlSafeValue":"scotland","title":"Scotland","titleRaw":"Scotland"},{"id":8005,"slug":"lockerbie","urlSafeValue":"lockerbie","title":"Lockerbie","titleRaw":"Lockerbie"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"image","count":2},{"slug":"related","count":1}],"related":[{"id":2146932},{"id":1326620},{"id":627118}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"hasExternalVideo":0,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":0,"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"AP","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Euronews","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'neg_facebook_2021','neg_mobkoi_castrol','castrol_negative_uk','gs_law','neg_facebook_q4','neg_nespresso','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','pos_ukraine-russia','neg_saudiaramco','gs_politics','gv_death_injury','gb_terrorism_serious','gt_mixed','gv_military','gs_politics_issues_policy','gs_law_misc','gb_death_injury_news-ent','gv_crime','gb_death_injury_serious','gs_politics_misc','gv_terrorism','gv_arms','gb_terrorism_news-ent'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2022\/12\/18\/lockerbie-bomb-suspect-held-by-libyan-militia-before-us-handover","lastModified":1671389113},{"id":2127346,"cid":7199268,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"221117_NWSU_49147987","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"WEB GREEK MINISTER REFUSES TO LEAVE PLANE","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Greek foreign minister causes a stir after refusing to leave plane on visit to Tripoli","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Greek foreign minister refuses to leave his plane on visit to Tripoli","titleListing2":"Greek foreign minister causes a stir after refusing to leave plane on visit to Tripoli","leadin":"Dendias was about to be welcomed by his Tripoli counterpart, which Athens says was not agreed on.","summary":"Dendias was about to be welcomed by his Tripoli counterpart, which Athens says was not agreed on.","keySentence":"","url":"greek-foreign-minister-causes-a-stir-after-refusing-to-leave-plane-on-visit-to-tripoli","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2022\/11\/17\/greek-foreign-minister-causes-a-stir-after-refusing-to-leave-plane-on-visit-to-tripoli","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Greece\u2019s foreign minister called off the first leg of his visit to Libya just moments after landing in Tripoli on Thursday. \n\nNikos Dendias was on a two-part trip to meet\u00a0Libya\u2019s rival western administration in the capital and\u00a0the east-based administration in\u00a0the city of Benghazi. \n\nBut he refused\u00a0to disembark from his plane in Tripoli when his counterpart, Najla Mangoush, came to the airport to greet him. Instead, Dendias flew to Benghazi ahead of schedule. \n\nMangoush signed the controversial Turkish-Libyan oil and gas exploration deal in October -- a move Athens blasted, claiming the Tripoli government was not authorised to do so. \n\nDendias earlier requested to be greeted by the president of Libya\u2019s National Transitional Council, Mohamed Younis Menfi, and that no one else would be present for the meeting, the Greek press reported.\u00a0 \n\nThe Greek Foreign Ministry described the incident as a violation of protocol and the agreed terms for the visit. \n\nIn a terse statement, Athens\u00a0condemned the move and promised to retaliate \"with appropriate diplomatic measures\". \n\nGas deal fuels further Mediterranean feuds \n\nSince March, two governments have been battling for power in Libya after the 2011 uprising. \n\nA spokesperson for the Tripoli-based government said Mangoush\u2019s presence at the airport was part of diplomatic conventions and that Dendias had left the city \"without offering explanations\". \n\nIn response, Tripoli said it had recalled the Libyan ambassador in Athens and had summoned the Greek charg\u00e9 d'affaires. \n\nTensions have been rising in the Mediterranean following a controversial maritime and gas deal between Turkey and the Tripoli government. \n\nLast month's preliminary deal has been rejected by both Greece and Egypt, who also accuse Turkey of using the agreement to try to expand its influence in the region.\u00a0 \n\nDuring a Cairo visit last month, Dendias said the deal infringes on Greek maritime borders. \n\nIn 2019, Turkey signed another controversial maritime border deal with Tripoli, granting it access to a contested economic zone in the eastern Mediterranean.\u00a0 \n\nThe deal ignored the existence of several Greek islands, including Crete, and reignited tensions over oil and gas drilling rights. \n\nMeanwhile, Cairo and Athens have strengthened ties in recent years, including signing new maritime border agreements with Cyprus. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Greece\u2019s foreign minister called off the first leg of his visit to Libya just moments after landing in Tripoli on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>Nikos Dendias was on a two-part trip to meet\u00a0Libya\u2019s rival western administration in the capital and\u00a0the east-based administration in\u00a0the city of Benghazi.<\/p>\n<p>But he refused\u00a0to disembark from his plane in Tripoli when his counterpart, Najla Mangoush, came to the airport to greet him. Instead, Dendias flew to Benghazi ahead of schedule.<\/p>\n<p>Mangoush signed the controversial Turkish-Libyan oil and gas exploration deal in October -- a move Athens blasted, claiming the Tripoli government was not authorised to do so.<\/p>\n<p>Dendias earlier requested to be greeted by the president of Libya\u2019s National Transitional Council, Mohamed Younis Menfi, and that no one else would be present for the meeting, the Greek press reported.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Greek Foreign Ministry described the incident as a violation of protocol and the agreed terms for the visit.<\/p>\n<p>In a terse statement, Athens\u00a0condemned the move and promised to retaliate \"with appropriate diplomatic measures\".<\/p>\n<h2>Gas deal fuels further Mediterranean feuds<\/h2>\n<p>Since March, two governments have been battling for power in Libya after the 2011 uprising.<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for the Tripoli-based government said Mangoush\u2019s presence at the airport was part of diplomatic conventions and that Dendias had left the city \"without offering explanations\".<\/p>\n<p>In response, Tripoli said it had recalled the Libyan ambassador in Athens and had summoned the Greek charg\u00e9 d'affaires.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-widget-related\" data-stories-id=\"6839766,6667836\" data-event=\"widget_related\">\n <div class=\"c-widget-related__title\">\n <b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\" lang=\"en\">Related<\/b>\n <\/div>\n <ul class=\"c-widget-related__list\">\n <li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2022//07//11//greek-prime-minister-demands-answers-over-map-that-shows-islands-as-turkish/">Greek Prime Minister demands answers over map that shows islands as Turkish<\/a><\/li><li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2022//04//29//greece-and-turkey-accuse-each-other-s-military-of-airspace-violations/">Greece and Turkey accuse each other's military of airspace violations<\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Tensions have been rising in the Mediterranean following a controversial maritime and gas deal between Turkey and the Tripoli government.<\/p>\n<p>Last month's preliminary deal has been rejected by both Greece and Egypt, who also accuse Turkey of using the agreement to try to expand its influence in the region.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>During a Cairo visit last month, Dendias said the deal infringes on Greek maritime borders.<\/p>\n<p>In 2019, Turkey signed another controversial maritime border deal with Tripoli, granting it access to a contested economic zone in the eastern Mediterranean.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The deal ignored the existence of several Greek islands, including Crete, and reignited tensions over oil and gas drilling rights.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Cairo and Athens have strengthened ties in recent years, including signing new maritime border agreements with Cyprus.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1668700950,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1668708104,"firstPublishedAt":1668708107,"lastPublishedAt":1668708107,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/19\/92\/68\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_06a60ce5-fbef-50ed-9e2b-c745370a89fa-7199268.jpg","altText":"Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias at a press conference in Belgrade in June 2022","caption":"Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias at a press conference in Belgrade in June 2022","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Darko Vojinovic","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/19\/92\/68\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_c3a25418-6df6-5af9-9e45-b6a8e9e8c098-7199268.jpg","altText":"Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, pictured during a press conference in Rome on Wednesday.","caption":"Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, pictured during a press conference in Rome on Wednesday.","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Roberto Monaldo\/LaPresse via AP","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":5386,"height":3591}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"},{"id":22056,"slug":"turkey-libya-sea-agreement","urlSafeValue":"turkey-libya-sea-agreement","title":"Turkiye Libya sea agreement","titleRaw":"Turkiye Libya sea agreement"},{"id":23758,"slug":"turkey-greece-relations","urlSafeValue":"turkey-greece-relations","title":"Turkiye-Greece relations","titleRaw":"Turkiye-Greece relations"},{"id":13026,"slug":"german-turkish-relations","urlSafeValue":"german-turkish-relations","title":"German-Turkish 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- LIBYA CLASHES LEAVE 30 DEAD","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Libya capital remains tense a day after clashes kill more than 30","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Libya capital remains tense a day after clashes kill more than 30","titleListing2":"\ud83c\uddf1\ud83c\uddfe Libya capital remains tense a day after clashes kill more than 30","leadin":"The fighting broke out early Saturday and pitted militias loyal to the Tripoli-based government against other armed groups allied with a rival administration","summary":"The fighting broke out early Saturday and pitted militias loyal to the Tripoli-based government against other armed groups allied with a rival administration","keySentence":"","url":"libya-capital-remains-tense-a-day-after-clashes-kill-more-than-30","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2022\/08\/28\/libya-capital-remains-tense-a-day-after-clashes-kill-more-than-30","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Militias patrolled nearly deserted streets in Libya\u2019s capital Sunday, a day after clashes killed more than 30 people and ended Tripoli\u2019s monthslong stretch of relative calm. \n\nThe fighting broke out early Saturday and pitted militias loyal to the Tripoli-based government against other armed groups allied with a rival administration that has for months sought to be seated in the capital. \n\nResidents fear the fighting could explode into a wider war and a return to the peaks of Libya's long-running conflict. \n\nLibya has plunged into chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The oil-rich county has for years been split between rival administrations, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments. \n\nThe current stalemate grew out of the failure to hold elections in December and Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah's refusal to step down. In response, the country\u2019s east-based parliament appointed a rival prime minister, Fathy Bashagha, who has for months sought to install his government in Tripoli. \n\nSaturday's fighting centered in the densely populated city center and involved heavy artillery. Hundreds were trapped and hospitals, government and residential buildings were damaged. \n\nThe Health Ministry said at least 32 people were killed and 159 wounded in the clashes. \n\nAmong the dead was Mustafa Baraka, a comedian known for his social media videos mocking militias and corruption. He was shot reportedly while live-streaming on social media. It was not clear whether he was targeted. \n\nReporters spoke to dozens of residents and witnesses who recounted horrific scenes of people, including women and children, trapped in their homes, government buildings and hospitals. They also spoke of at least three motionless bodies that remained for hours in the street before an ambulance was able to reach the area. They asked not to be identified for fear of reprisal from the militias. \n\n\u201cWe see death before our eyes and in the eyes of our children,\u201d said a woman who was trapped along with many families in a residential apartment. \u201cThe world should protect those innocent children like they did at the time of Gadhafi.\u201d \n\nMilitias allied with Tripoli-based Dbeibah were seen roaming the streets in the capital early Sunday. Their rivals were stationed at their positions in the outskirts of the city, according to local media. \n\nMuch of the city has suffered nightly power outages. Several businesses were closed Sunday and the state-run National Oil Corp. ordered its employees to work remotely Sunday. \n\nResidents were still wary of potential violence and most stayed in their homes Sunday. Many rushed to supermarkets when the clashes subsided late Saturday to stock up on food and other necessities. \n\n\u201cIt could be triggered in a flash. They (the militias) are uncontrolled,\" said a Tripoli school teacher who only gave a partial name, Abu Salim. \u201cOur demand is very simple: a normal life.\" \n\nDbeibah\u2019s government claimed the fighting began when a member of a rival militia fired at a patrol of another militia in Tripoli's Zawiya Street. It said the shots came amid a mobilization of Bashagha-allied groups around the capital. The claim couldn\u2019t be independently verified. \n\nMilitia clashes are not uncommon in Tripoli. Last month, at least 13 people were killed in militia fighting. In May, Bashagha attempted to install his government in Tripoli, triggering clashes that ended with his withdrawal from the city. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Militias patrolled nearly deserted streets in Libya\u2019s capital Sunday, a day after clashes killed more than 30 people and ended Tripoli\u2019s monthslong stretch of relative calm.<\/p>\n<p>The fighting broke out early Saturday and pitted militias loyal to the Tripoli-based government against other armed groups allied with a rival administration that has for months sought to be seated in the capital.<\/p>\n<p>Residents fear the fighting could explode into a wider war and a return to the peaks of Libya's long-running conflict.<\/p>\n<p>Libya has plunged into chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The oil-rich county has for years been split between rival administrations, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.<\/p>\n<p>The current stalemate grew out of the failure to hold elections in December and Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah's refusal to step down. In response, the country\u2019s east-based parliament appointed a rival prime minister, Fathy Bashagha, who has for months sought to install his government in Tripoli.<\/p>\n<p>Saturday's fighting centered in the densely populated city center and involved heavy artillery. Hundreds were trapped and hospitals, government and residential buildings were damaged.<\/p>\n<p>The Health Ministry said at least 32 people were killed and 159 wounded in the clashes.<\/p>\n<p>Among the dead was Mustafa Baraka, a comedian known for his social media videos mocking militias and corruption. He was shot reportedly while live-streaming on social media. It was not clear whether he was targeted.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-widget-related\" data-stories-id=\"6975300,6874744,6738878\" data-event=\"widget_related\">\n <div class=\"c-widget-related__title\">\n <b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\" lang=\"en\">Related<\/b>\n <\/div>\n <ul class=\"c-widget-related__list\">\n <li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2022//07//23//armed-groups-clash-in-libyan-capital-killing-13/">Armed groups clash in Libyan capital, killing 13<\/a><\/li><li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2022//05//28//un-report-libya-faces-serious-security-threat-from-foreign-fighters-russia-s-wagner/">UN report: Libya faces serious security threat from foreign fighters, Russia's Wagner<\/a><\/li><li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2022//08//27//libya-clashes-between-two-armed-groups-in-tripoli-cause-damage/">Libya : Clashes between two armed groups in Tripoli cause damage<\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Reporters spoke to dozens of residents and witnesses who recounted horrific scenes of people, including women and children, trapped in their homes, government buildings and hospitals. They also spoke of at least three motionless bodies that remained for hours in the street before an ambulance was able to reach the area. They asked not to be identified for fear of reprisal from the militias.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe see death before our eyes and in the eyes of our children,\u201d said a woman who was trapped along with many families in a residential apartment. \u201cThe world should protect those innocent children like they did at the time of Gadhafi.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Militias allied with Tripoli-based Dbeibah were seen roaming the streets in the capital early Sunday. Their rivals were stationed at their positions in the outskirts of the city, according to local media.<\/p>\n<p>Much of the city has suffered nightly power outages. Several businesses were closed Sunday and the state-run National Oil Corp. ordered its employees to work remotely Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>Residents were still wary of potential violence and most stayed in their homes Sunday. Many rushed to supermarkets when the clashes subsided late Saturday to stock up on food and other necessities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt could be triggered in a flash. They (the militias) are uncontrolled,\" said a Tripoli school teacher who only gave a partial name, Abu Salim. \u201cOur demand is very simple: a normal life.\"<\/p>\n<p>Dbeibah\u2019s government claimed the fighting began when a member of a rival militia fired at a patrol of another militia in Tripoli's Zawiya Street. It said the shots came amid a mobilization of Bashagha-allied groups around the capital. The claim couldn\u2019t be independently verified.<\/p>\n<p>Militia clashes are not uncommon in Tripoli. Last month, at least 13 people were killed in militia fighting. In May, Bashagha attempted to install his government in Tripoli, triggering clashes that ended with his withdrawal from the city.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1661689844,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1661691255,"firstPublishedAt":1661691257,"lastPublishedAt":1661692067,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/97\/76\/64\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_bf1f43b6-a850-50da-9459-986ad1c465e1-6977664.jpg","altText":"The remains of a car burned during clashes stands in a street in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, Sunday, August 28 2022.","caption":"The remains of a car burned during clashes stands in a street in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, Sunday, August 28 2022.","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo \/ Yousef Murad","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1800,"height":1200}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":22368,"slug":"civil-war-in-libya","urlSafeValue":"civil-war-in-libya","title":"civil war in Libya","titleRaw":"civil war in Libya"},{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"},{"id":10515,"slug":"libyan-war","urlSafeValue":"libyan-war","title":"Libyan war","titleRaw":"Libyan war"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"related","count":1}],"related":[{"id":2127346}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":{"youtubeId":"qtMmWWVjKHA","dailymotionId":"x8db8wr"},"hasExternalVideo":1,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":1,"video":1,"videos":[{"format":"mp4","quality":"md","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/NW\/SU\/22\/08\/28\/en\/220828_NWSU_47975523_47975526_58400_150723_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":58400,"filesizeBytes":7271930,"expiresAt":0},{"format":"mp4","quality":"hd","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/EN\/NW\/SU\/22\/08\/28\/en\/220828_NWSU_47975523_47975526_58400_150723_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":58400,"filesizeBytes":10720762,"expiresAt":0}],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"AP","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Euronews","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'neg_facebook_2021','neg_facebook_q4','neg_mobkoi_castrol','castrol_negative_uk','gv_death_injury','neg_facebook','gt_negative','neg_saudiaramco','gs_politics_misc','neg_facebook_neg1','gv_military','gs_politics','neg_nespresso','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','gt_negative_dislike'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2022\/08\/28\/libya-capital-remains-tense-a-day-after-clashes-kill-more-than-30","lastModified":1661692067},{"id":1948756,"cid":6738878,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"220528_NWSU_46676976","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"WEB LIBYA FOREIGN FIGHTERS","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"UN report: Libya faces serious security threat from foreign fighters, Russia's Wagner","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"UN report: Libya faces serious threat from foreign fighters, Wagner","titleListing2":"UN experts claim numerous groups, including Russia's Wagner mercenaries, are behind many international law violations in a country that turned volatile after the death of dictator Moammar Gaddafi.","leadin":"A report made by UN experts cites numerous groups, including Russia's Wagner mercenaries, as being behind many international law violations in a country that turned volatile after the death of dictator Moammar Gaddafi.","summary":"A report made by UN experts cites numerous groups, including Russia's Wagner mercenaries, as being behind many international law violations in a country that turned volatile after the death of dictator Moammar Gaddafi.","keySentence":"","url":"un-report-libya-faces-serious-security-threat-from-foreign-fighters-russia-s-wagner","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2022\/05\/28\/un-report-libya-faces-serious-security-threat-from-foreign-fighters-russia-s-wagner","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Libya faces a serious security threat from foreign fighters and private military companies, especially Russia's Wagner Group which has violated international law, a UN expert report said. \n\n\nThe experts also accused seven Libyan armed groups of systematically using unlawful detention to punish perceived opponents, ignoring international and domestic civil rights laws, including those prohibiting torture. \n\nIn particular, \"migrants have been extremely vulnerable to human rights abuses and regularly subjected to acts of slavery, rape and torture,\" the panel said in the report to the UN Security Council obtained late Friday. \n\nThe oil-rich North African nation plunged into turmoil after a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 toppled dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was later killed.\u00a0 \n\nIt then became divided between rival governments: one in the east, backed by military commander Khalifa Hifter, and an UN-supported administration in the capital of Tripoli. Each side is propped up by different militias and foreign powers. \n\nIn April 2019, Hifter and his forces, backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, launched an offensive to try and capture Tripoli.\u00a0 \n\nHis campaign collapsed after Turkey stepped up its military support for the UN-supported government with hundreds of troops and thousands of Syrian mercenaries. \n\nAn October 2020 cease-fire deal led to an agreement on a transitional government in early February 2021 and elections were scheduled for the last 24 December aimed at unifying the country.\u00a0 \n\nBut they were cancelled and the country now has rival governments with two Libyans claiming to be prime ministers. \n\nThe cease-fire agreement called for the speedy withdrawal of all foreign fighters and mercenaries but the panel said \"there has been little verifiable evidence of any large-scale withdrawals taking place to date.\" \n\nThe report said Chadian opposition groups operate from Libya and Sudanese fighters have been recruited by Hifter. \n\nWagner mercenaries accused of crimes against civilians \n\nTurkish-backed Syrian combatants have been seen by the panel in government military camps in Tripoli, while Hifter-affiliated Syrian fighters operate alongside the Wagner Group's mercenaries in the strategic northern city of Sirte and nearby Jufra.\u00a0 \n\nAt least 300 of these Syrians have returned home and not been replaced by Hifter, the report said. \n\nThe panel said it continues to investigate the deployment of Wagner fighters and the transfers of arms and related materiel to support its operations. \n\nThe Wagner Group passes itself off as a private military contractor and the Kremlin denies any connection to it.\u00a0 \n\nBut the US identifies Yevgeny Prigozhin, an oligarch who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin as Wagner's main financier and the group has been hired in a number of conflicts to serve the interests of the Russian government. \n\nThe panel said it considers a Samsung electronic tablet left on a Libyan battlefield by a Wagner mercenary and obtained by the BBC in early 2021 to be authentic.\u00a0 \n\nIt contained maps of the locations of 35 unmarked anti-personnel mines in the Ain Zara area of south Tripoli which was then a frontline area under Hifter's control, supported by Wagner. \n\nSeveral mines had never been reported as being in Libya before and their transfer, therefore, violated the UN arms embargo, the panel said. It added that a booby-trapped mine exploded during a clearance operation killing two civilian experts. \n\nThe report claims that the authors also received information about the recovery of anti-tank mines from positions primarily occupied by Wagner in south Tripoli. \n\nThe panel said the failure to visibly mark the anti-personnel and anti-tank mines and issue warnings of their locations to civilians in the areas was a violation of the international humanitarian law by Wagner. \n\nThe Wagner tablet also contained a list of requested items including drones and tanks that would violate the arms embargo if delivered, the panel said, but it did not know if any of it had. \n\nThe panel said it identified 18 arms transfers and four examples of military training between March 2021 and late April 2022 that violated the UN arms embargo.\u00a0 \n\nAmong the examples it cited was the Luccello, a ship flying the Comoros flag that delivered 100 armoured vehicles to Hifter in Benghazi. \n\n'Turning a blind eye to rape' \n\nThe experts said four migrants suffered human rights abuses in secret detention facilities controlled by human traffickers in the areas of Tazirbu in the Libyan desert and Bani Walid near the northwest coast. \n\nThey said victims were enslaved, severely beaten, deliberately starved and denied medical care. \n\n\"Two former female detainees, who were 14- and 15-year-old girls at the time, further testified to the panel that multiple perpetrators repeatedly raped them, subjected them to sexual slavery and other forms of sexual violence during the period of over 18 months in a secret detention facility in Bani Walid,\" the report said. \n\nThe panel said it also found that guards responsible for protecting the most vulnerable migrants in the government-run Shara al-Zawiya detention centre \"took a direct part in or turned a blind eye to consistent acts of rape, sexual exploitation and threats of rape against women and girls\" detained there between January and June 2021. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Libya faces a serious security threat from foreign fighters and private military companies, especially Russia's Wagner Group which has violated international law, a UN expert report said. <\/p>\n<p>The experts also accused seven Libyan armed groups of systematically using unlawful detention to punish perceived opponents, ignoring international and domestic civil rights laws, including those prohibiting torture.<\/p>\n<p>In particular, \"migrants have been extremely vulnerable to human rights abuses and regularly subjected to acts of slavery, rape and torture,\" the panel said in the report to the UN Security Council obtained late Friday.<\/p>\n<p>The oil-rich North African nation plunged into turmoil after a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 toppled dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was later killed.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It then became divided between rival governments: one in the east, backed by military commander Khalifa Hifter, and an UN-supported administration in the capital of Tripoli. Each side is propped up by different militias and foreign powers.<\/p>\n<p>In April 2019, Hifter and his forces, backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, launched an offensive to try and capture Tripoli.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>His campaign collapsed after Turkey stepped up its military support for the UN-supported government with hundreds of troops and thousands of Syrian mercenaries.<\/p>\n<p>An October 2020 cease-fire deal led to an agreement on a transitional government in early February 2021 and elections were scheduled for the last 24 December aimed at unifying the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But they were cancelled and the country now has rival governments with two Libyans claiming to be prime ministers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-widget-related\" data-stories-id=\"5352706,6307526\" data-event=\"widget_related\">\n <div class=\"c-widget-related__title\">\n <b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\" lang=\"en\">Related<\/b>\n <\/div>\n <ul class=\"c-widget-related__list\">\n <li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2021//02//06//hope-for-progress-in-libya-as-factions-agree-interim-presidential-council/">Hope for progress in Libya as factions agree interim presidential council<\/a><\/li><li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2021//12//15//a-decade-since-gaddafi-libya-s-election-raises-fears-of-new-violence/">A decade since Gaddafi, Libya's election raises fears of new violence <\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>The cease-fire agreement called for the speedy withdrawal of all foreign fighters and mercenaries but the panel said \"there has been little verifiable evidence of any large-scale withdrawals taking place to date.\"<\/p>\n<p>The report said Chadian opposition groups operate from Libya and Sudanese fighters have been recruited by Hifter.<\/p>\n<h2>Wagner mercenaries accused of crimes against civilians<\/h2>\n<p>Turkish-backed Syrian combatants have been seen by the panel in government military camps in Tripoli, while Hifter-affiliated Syrian fighters operate alongside the Wagner Group's mercenaries in the strategic northern city of Sirte and nearby Jufra.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At least 300 of these Syrians have returned home and not been replaced by Hifter, the report said.<\/p>\n<p>The panel said it continues to investigate the deployment of Wagner fighters and the transfers of arms and related materiel to support its operations.<\/p>\n<p>The Wagner Group passes itself off as a private military contractor and the Kremlin denies any connection to it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But the US identifies Yevgeny Prigozhin, an oligarch who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin as Wagner's main financier and the group has been hired in a number of conflicts to serve the interests of the Russian government.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-widget-related\" data-stories-id=\"6302168,4374926\" data-event=\"widget_related\">\n <div class=\"c-widget-related__title\">\n <b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\" lang=\"en\">Related<\/b>\n <\/div>\n <ul class=\"c-widget-related__list\">\n <li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2021//12//14//eu-sanctions-russia-s-wagner-group-over-human-rights-abuse-claims/">EU sanctions Russia's Wagner Group over human rights abuse claims<\/a><\/li><li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2019//12//18//who-are-the-russian-mercenaries-waging-war-in-libya/">Who are the Russian mercenaries waging war in Libya?<\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>The panel said it considers a Samsung electronic tablet left on a Libyan battlefield by a Wagner mercenary and obtained by the BBC in early 2021 to be authentic.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It contained maps of the locations of 35 unmarked anti-personnel mines in the Ain Zara area of south Tripoli which was then a frontline area under Hifter's control, supported by Wagner.<\/p>\n<p>Several mines had never been reported as being in Libya before and their transfer, therefore, violated the UN arms embargo, the panel said. It added that a booby-trapped mine exploded during a clearance operation killing two civilian experts.<\/p>\n<p>The report claims that the authors also received information about the recovery of anti-tank mines from positions primarily occupied by Wagner in south Tripoli.<\/p>\n<p>The panel said the failure to visibly mark the anti-personnel and anti-tank mines and issue warnings of their locations to civilians in the areas was a violation of the international humanitarian law by Wagner.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-widget-related\" data-stories-id=\"5997562,5007552\" data-event=\"widget_related\">\n <div class=\"c-widget-related__title\">\n <b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\" lang=\"en\">Related<\/b>\n <\/div>\n <ul class=\"c-widget-related__list\">\n <li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2020//09//26//russia-china-blocking-report-into-libya-conflict-arms-embargo-violations/">Russia, China blocking report into Libya conflict arms embargo violations<\/a><\/li><li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2021//08//19//russia-supports-withdrawal-of-foreign-fighters-from-libya/">Russia supports withdrawal of foreign fighters from Libya<\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>The Wagner tablet also contained a list of requested items including drones and tanks that would violate the arms embargo if delivered, the panel said, but it did not know if any of it had.<\/p>\n<p>The panel said it identified 18 arms transfers and four examples of military training between March 2021 and late April 2022 that violated the UN arms embargo.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Among the examples it cited was the Luccello, a ship flying the Comoros flag that delivered 100 armoured vehicles to Hifter in Benghazi.<\/p>\n<h2>'Turning a blind eye to rape'<\/h2>\n<p>The experts said four migrants suffered human rights abuses in secret detention facilities controlled by human traffickers in the areas of Tazirbu in the Libyan desert and Bani Walid near the northwest coast.<\/p>\n<p>They said victims were enslaved, severely beaten, deliberately starved and denied medical care.<\/p>\n<p>\"Two former female detainees, who were 14- and 15-year-old girls at the time, further testified to the panel that multiple perpetrators repeatedly raped them, subjected them to sexual slavery and other forms of sexual violence during the period of over 18 months in a secret detention facility in Bani Walid,\" the report said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-widget-related\" data-stories-id=\"5662786,3903564\" data-event=\"widget_related\">\n <div class=\"c-widget-related__title\">\n <b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\" lang=\"en\">Related<\/b>\n <\/div>\n <ul class=\"c-widget-related__list\">\n <li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2019//05//20//they-sprayed-the-room-with-bullets-migrants-in-libyan-detention-centres-living-in-fear/">'They sprayed the room with bullets': migrants in Libyan detention centres living in fear<\/a><\/li><li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2021//07//30//a-hotbed-of-squalor-and-torture-libya-is-closing-its-migrant-detention-centres/">Libya's detention centre closures: lancing lawlessness or consolidating poltical control? <\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>The panel said it also found that guards responsible for protecting the most vulnerable migrants in the government-run Shara al-Zawiya detention centre \"took a direct part in or turned a blind eye to consistent acts of rape, sexual exploitation and threats of rape against women and girls\" detained there between January and June 2021.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1653740223,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1653742205,"firstPublishedAt":1653742209,"lastPublishedAt":1653742209,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/73\/88\/78\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_38fa9cad-0378-5f71-a602-68b3212de9ec-6738878.jpg","altText":"Forces loyal to Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, one of Libya\u2019s two rival prime ministers, secure the streets of Tripoli on 17 May 2022","caption":"Forces loyal to Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, one of Libya\u2019s two rival prime ministers, secure the streets of Tripoli on 17 May 2022","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Yousef Murad","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":10515,"slug":"libyan-war","urlSafeValue":"libyan-war","title":"Libyan war","titleRaw":"Libyan war"},{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"},{"id":4490,"slug":"war-crimes","urlSafeValue":"war-crimes","title":"War crimes","titleRaw":"War crimes"},{"id":21414,"slug":"human-rights-abuse","urlSafeValue":"human-rights-abuse","title":"human rights abuse","titleRaw":"human rights abuse"},{"id":22234,"slug":"wagner","urlSafeValue":"wagner","title":"Wagner","titleRaw":"Wagner"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"related","count":4}],"related":[{"id":2052988},{"id":2127346},{"id":2158152}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"hasExternalVideo":0,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":0,"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"AP","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Euronews","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'neg_facebook_2021','castrol_negative_uk','neg_mobkoi_castrol','shadow9hu7_pos_ukrainecrisis','neg_facebook_q4','gv_crime','neg_saudiaramco','neg_nespresso','gs_law','neg_facebook','gs_politics_misc','neg_mobkoi_fb-weareonit_fs_28feb2019','pos_equinor','gs_politics','gv_military','gt_negative','gs_law_misc','gt_negative_fear','gs_society_misc','gs_society'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2022\/05\/28\/un-report-libya-faces-serious-security-threat-from-foreign-fighters-russia-s-wagner","lastModified":1653742209},{"id":1904126,"cid":6624200,"versionId":2,"archive":0,"housenumber":"220417_NCSU_46028452","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"NC 4 LIBYA UNDERGROUND HOMES","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":6},{"id":8},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Libya's underground homes wait for tourism revival","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Libya's underground homes wait for tourism revival","titleListing2":"Libya's underground homes wait for tourism revival","leadin":"Gharyan's unique underground houses were hewn into the mountainside centuries ago, and many lie abandoned, but residents of the Libyan town are hoping tourism can help restore their heritage.","summary":"Gharyan's unique underground houses were hewn into the mountainside centuries ago, and many lie abandoned, but residents of the Libyan town are hoping tourism can help restore their heritage.","keySentence":"","url":"libya-s-underground-homes-wait-for-tourism-revival","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2022\/04\/17\/libya-s-underground-homes-wait-for-tourism-revival","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Gharyan's unique underground houses were hewn into the mountainside centuries ago, and many lie abandoned, but residents of the Libyan town are hoping tourism can help restore their heritage.\u00a0 \n\n\n","htmlText":"<p>Gharyan's unique underground houses were hewn into the mountainside centuries ago, and many lie abandoned, but residents of the Libyan town are hoping tourism can help restore their heritage.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1650205981,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1650207047,"firstPublishedAt":1650207052,"lastPublishedAt":1650639193,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/62\/42\/00\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_7500aeed-7e49-59fc-846d-7781de74bba4-6624200.jpg","altText":"The interior of a \"damous\", a dwelling carved into Libya's arid Nafusa mountains, in Gharyan town.","caption":"The interior of a \"damous\", a dwelling carved into Libya's arid Nafusa mountains, in Gharyan town.","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"MAHMUD TURKIA\/AFP","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":4000,"height":2252}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"id":1274,"urlSafeValue":"pitiot","title":"Christophe Pitiot","twitter":null}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[{"id":1274,"urlSafeValue":"pitiot","title":"Christophe Pitiot","twitter":null}]},"keywords":[{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"},{"id":16833,"slug":"tripoli","urlSafeValue":"tripoli","title":"Tripoli","titleRaw":"Tripoli"},{"id":12851,"slug":"heritage","urlSafeValue":"heritage","title":"Heritage","titleRaw":"Heritage"},{"id":12361,"slug":"cultural-heritage","urlSafeValue":"cultural-heritage","title":"Cultural Heritage","titleRaw":"Cultural Heritage"}],"widgets":[],"related":[{"id":1950958},{"id":2079510}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"hasExternalVideo":0,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":1,"video":1,"videos":[{"format":"mp4","quality":"md","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/NC\/SU\/22\/04\/17\/en\/220417_NCSU_46028452_46028567_60000_164648_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":60000,"filesizeBytes":5838318,"expiresAt":0},{"format":"mp4","quality":"hd","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/EN\/NC\/SU\/22\/04\/17\/en\/220417_NCSU_46028452_46028567_60000_164648_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":60000,"filesizeBytes":9754852,"expiresAt":0}],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"AFP","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"nocomment","urlSafeValue":"nocomment","title":"No Comment","online":1,"url":"\/nocomment"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'gs_travel_holidays','eap-gs-homerfaber-fs-30july19','mortgages_home_eng','gs_travel','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','pos_ukraine-russia','pos_ukrainecrisis','gt_positive_love','gs_home_property','gt_positive','gs_home','gv_safe'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/video\/2022\/04\/17\/libya-s-underground-homes-wait-for-tourism-revival","lastModified":1650639193},{"id":1818154,"cid":6422610,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"220125_WBSU_44668037","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"WEB LIBYA COAST GUARD","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"EU report calls for Libya training to continue despite migrant abuse claims","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"EU report calls for Libya training to continue despite abuse claims","titleListing2":"EU report calls for Libya training to continue despite migrant abuse claims","leadin":"The European Commission and the EU\u2019s External Action Service declined to comment on the report.","summary":"The European Commission and the EU\u2019s External Action Service declined to comment on the report.","keySentence":"","url":"eu-report-calls-for-libya-training-to-continue-despite-migrant-abuse-claims","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2022\/01\/25\/eu-report-calls-for-libya-training-to-continue-despite-migrant-abuse-claims","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"A confidential European Union military report calls for continuing a controversial EU programme to train and equip Libya\u2019s coast guard and navy despite growing concerns about their treatment of migrants, a mounting death toll at sea, and the continued lack of any central authority in the North African nation. \n\nThe report, circulated to EU officials this month, offers a rare look at Europe\u2019s determination to support Libya in the interception and return of tens of thousands of migrants to the country, where it is claimed they face insufferable abuse. \n\nCompiled by Italian navy rear admiral Stefano Turchetto, head of the EU arms embargo surveillance mission, or Operation Irini, the report acknowledges the \u201cexcessive use of force\u201d by Libyan authorities, adding that EU training is \u201cno longer fully followed\u201d. \n\nThe European Commission and the EU\u2019s External Action Service declined to comment on the report. \n\nBut spokesman Peter Stano confirmed the EU is determined to train coast guard personnel and bolster Libya\u2019s capacity to manage a massive search-and-rescue area of the Mediterranean. \n\nThe EU training programme \u201cremains firmly on the table to increase the capacity of the Libyan authorities to save lives at sea,\" Stano said. \n\nCriticism of EU migration policies grows \n\nHundreds of thousands of migrants hoping to reach Europe have made their way through Libya, where a lucrative trafficking and smuggling business has flourished in a country without a functioning government, fragmented for years between rival administrations in the east and west, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments. \n\nThe EU report acknowledges \u201cthe political stalemate\u201d in Libya has hindered Europe's training programme, noting that the country's internal divisions make it difficult to obtain political support for enforcing \"proper behavioural standards ... compliant with human rights, especially when dealing with irregular migrants\u201d. \n\nCriticism of EU's migration policies has been growing. At least three requests have been filed to the International Criminal Court demanding that Libyan and European officials, as well as traffickers, militiamen, and others be investigated for crimes against humanity. \n\nA UN inquiry published in October also found evidence that abuses committed in Libya may amount to crimes against humanity. \n\nLast week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for countries to \u201cre-examine policies that support interception at sea and return of refugees and migrants to Libya.\u201d \n\nStano dismissed those criticisms. \u201cWhen it comes to migration, our objective is to save peoples\u2019 lives, protect those in need and fight trafficking in human beings and migrant smuggling,\u201d Stano said. \n\nHuman rights defenders and asylum seekers disagree. \n\n\u201cThe Europeans pretend to show the good face,\u201d said a Cameroonian woman who arrived in Libya in 2016 with her child thinking she would find work. Instead, she was trafficked and forced into prostitution after being separated from her daughter. \n\nIn 2018 she got on a smuggler\u2019s boat bound for Europe but her group was caught by Libyan authorities and taken to the notorious Tajoura detention centre where detainees were beaten and abused. \n\nShe was only released after a friend paid a \u20ac620 ransom to the guards. \n\n\u201cThey\u2019re calling it saving lives? How is it saving lives when those lives are tortured after being saved?\" the woman, who remained anonymous as a victim of trafficking, asked. \n\nNo changes on the ground \n\nQuestioned about the detention centres in Libya, Stano said the EU\u2019s position is clear: \"They are unacceptable. The current arbitrary detention system must end.\u201d \n\nBut despite such assertions, nothing has changed on the ground. The Libyan government last month named Mohammed Al-Khoja, a militia leader implicated in abuses against migrants, to head the Department for Combating Irregular Migration, which oversees the detention centres. \n\n\u201cThe same people in charge of dismantling the trafficking business are the traffickers themselves,\u201d said Violeta Moreno-Lax, founder of the immigration law program at Queen Mary University of London. \n\nThe EU report noted the \u201cexcessive use of physical force\u201d by a Libyan patrol during the 15 September interception of a wooden boat with about 20 migrants off the coast of Libya. \n\nThe Libyan forces used tactics \"never observed before and not in compliance with [EU] training [\u2026] as well as international regulation,\u201d said the report. It provided no further details about what exactly happened. \n\nA spokesman for the Libyan coast guard did not respond to AP requests for comment about that incident or the EU report. \n\nIn the past, Libyan interior ministry and coast guard officials have said they are doing their best with limited resources in a country plagued by years of civil war. \n\nFrontex, the European coast guard and border agency that documented the 15 September interception said it had filed a \u201cserious incident report\u201d but could not disclose details. \n\nOzlem Demirel, a German Left party member of the European Parliament, said the report offered \"further evidence that there should be no cooperation with this force\u201d. \n\n\u201cThe fact that Irini is even seeking further training is, in my view, outrageous,\u201d he said. \n\n455 million euros further earmarked for Libya \n\nViolent tactics employed by Libyan authorities at sea have been widely documented for years. Last week, activists on a volunteer rescue ship reported seeing a Libyan patrol vessel \u201cshooting at a person who had jumped into the water\u201d. \n\nSome \u20ac455 million have been earmarked for Libya since 2015 through the EU's Trust Fund for Africa, substantial amounts of which have gone to finance migration and border management. \n\nHowever, huge sums have been diverted to networks of militiamen and traffickers who exploit migrants, according to a 2019 AP investigation. Coast guard members are also complicit, turning migrants intercepted at sea over to detention centres under deals with militias or demanding payoffs to let others go. \n\nEU money, much of it funnelled through Italy, has been used to train staff and refurbish boats for Libyan authorities. The Libyan coast guard also received satellite phones and uniforms and will get three new patrol vessels in the next two years. \n\nTo intercept the small unseaworthy migrant boats in the Mediterranean, Libyan authorities also depend on surveillance gathered and shared by European drones, aircraft, and radar. But even then the political chaos in the country often impacts search-and-rescue operations. \n\nIrregular migration from North Africa to Italy and Malta spiked in 2021 after a drop in 2020 largely due to the coronavirus pandemic. Crossings on the central Mediterranean accounted for one-third of all reported illegal border-crossings into Europe, according to Frontex. \n\nBut as departures increased, so did interceptions. Last year, the Libyan coast guard picked up and returned to Libya more than 32,000 migrants, nearly triple the number for 2020. \n\nYet despite all the equipment and training provided to Libya to save lives, more than 1,500 people died or went missing last year, the highest death toll since 2017. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>A confidential European Union military report calls for continuing a controversial EU programme to train and equip Libya\u2019s coast guard and navy despite growing concerns about their treatment of migrants, a mounting death toll at sea, and the continued lack of any central authority in the North African nation.<\/p>\n<p>The report, circulated to EU officials this month, offers a rare look at Europe\u2019s determination to support Libya in the interception and return of tens of thousands of migrants to the country, where it is claimed they face insufferable abuse.<\/p>\n<p>Compiled by Italian navy rear admiral Stefano Turchetto, head of the EU arms embargo surveillance mission, or Operation Irini, the report acknowledges the \u201cexcessive use of force\u201d by Libyan authorities, adding that EU training is \u201cno longer fully followed\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The European Commission and the EU\u2019s External Action Service declined to comment on the report.<\/p>\n<p>But spokesman Peter Stano confirmed the EU is determined to train coast guard personnel and bolster Libya\u2019s capacity to manage a massive search-and-rescue area of the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n<p>The EU training programme \u201cremains firmly on the table to increase the capacity of the Libyan authorities to save lives at sea,\" Stano said.<\/p>\n<h2>Criticism of EU migration policies grows<\/h2>\n<p>Hundreds of thousands of migrants hoping to reach Europe have made their way through Libya, where a lucrative trafficking and smuggling business has flourished in a country without a functioning government, fragmented for years between rival administrations in the east and west, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments.<\/p>\n<p>The EU report acknowledges \u201cthe political stalemate\u201d in Libya has hindered Europe's training programme, noting that the country's internal divisions make it difficult to obtain political support for enforcing \"proper behavioural standards ... compliant with human rights, especially when dealing with irregular migrants\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Criticism of EU's migration policies has been growing. At least three requests have been filed to the International Criminal Court demanding that Libyan and European officials, as well as traffickers, militiamen, and others be investigated for crimes against humanity.<\/p>\n<p>A UN inquiry published in October also found evidence that abuses committed in Libya may amount to crimes against humanity.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for countries to \u201cre-examine policies that support interception at sea and return of refugees and migrants to Libya.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Stano dismissed those criticisms. \u201cWhen it comes to migration, our objective is to save peoples\u2019 lives, protect those in need and fight trafficking in human beings and migrant smuggling,\u201d Stano said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6666666666666666\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//06//42//26//10//808x539_cmsv2_883a7e6d-d93f-5269-a666-aebd59d38eec-6422610.jpg/" alt=\"Matthias Schrader\/Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/42\/26\/10\/384x256_cmsv2_883a7e6d-d93f-5269-a666-aebd59d38eec-6422610.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/42\/26\/10\/640x427_cmsv2_883a7e6d-d93f-5269-a666-aebd59d38eec-6422610.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/42\/26\/10\/750x500_cmsv2_883a7e6d-d93f-5269-a666-aebd59d38eec-6422610.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/42\/26\/10\/828x552_cmsv2_883a7e6d-d93f-5269-a666-aebd59d38eec-6422610.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/42\/26\/10\/1080x720_cmsv2_883a7e6d-d93f-5269-a666-aebd59d38eec-6422610.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/42\/26\/10\/1200x800_cmsv2_883a7e6d-d93f-5269-a666-aebd59d38eec-6422610.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/42\/26\/10\/1920x1280_cmsv2_883a7e6d-d93f-5269-a666-aebd59d38eec-6422610.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Migrants are transferd by Italian sailors from the German combat supply ship 'Frankfurt am Main' to the their ship 'Grecale' after being rescued off the coast of libya<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Matthias Schrader\/Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Human rights defenders and asylum seekers disagree.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Europeans pretend to show the good face,\u201d said a Cameroonian woman who arrived in Libya in 2016 with her child thinking she would find work. Instead, she was trafficked and forced into prostitution after being separated from her daughter.<\/p>\n<p>In 2018 she got on a smuggler\u2019s boat bound for Europe but her group was caught by Libyan authorities and taken to the notorious Tajoura detention centre where detainees were beaten and abused.<\/p>\n<p>She was only released after a friend paid a \u20ac620 ransom to the guards.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re calling it saving lives? How is it saving lives when those lives are tortured after being saved?\" the woman, who remained anonymous as a victim of trafficking, asked.<\/p>\n<h2>No changes on the ground<\/h2>\n<p>Questioned about the detention centres in Libya, Stano said the EU\u2019s position is clear: \"They are unacceptable. The current arbitrary detention system must end.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But despite such assertions, nothing has changed on the ground. The Libyan government last month named Mohammed Al-Khoja, a militia leader implicated in abuses against migrants, to head the Department for Combating Irregular Migration, which oversees the detention centres.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe same people in charge of dismantling the trafficking business are the traffickers themselves,\u201d said Violeta Moreno-Lax, founder of the immigration law program at Queen Mary University of London.<\/p>\n<p>The EU report noted the \u201cexcessive use of physical force\u201d by a Libyan patrol during the 15 September interception of a wooden boat with about 20 migrants off the coast of Libya.<\/p>\n<p>The Libyan forces used tactics \"never observed before and not in compliance with [EU] training [\u2026] as well as international regulation,\u201d said the report. It provided no further details about what exactly happened.<\/p>\n<p>A spokesman for the Libyan coast guard did not respond to AP requests for comment about that incident or the EU report.<\/p>\n<p>In the past, Libyan interior ministry and coast guard officials have said they are doing their best with limited resources in a country plagued by years of civil war.<\/p>\n<p>Frontex, the European coast guard and border agency that documented the 15 September interception said it had filed a \u201cserious incident report\u201d but could not disclose details.<\/p>\n<p>Ozlem Demirel, a German Left party member of the European Parliament, said the report offered \"further evidence that there should be no cooperation with this force\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe fact that Irini is even seeking further training is, in my view, outrageous,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<h2>455 million euros further earmarked for Libya<\/h2>\n<p>Violent tactics employed by Libyan authorities at sea have been widely documented for years. Last week, activists on a volunteer rescue ship reported seeing a Libyan patrol vessel \u201cshooting at a person who had jumped into the water\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Some \u20ac455 million have been earmarked for Libya since 2015 through the EU's Trust Fund for Africa, substantial amounts of which have gone to finance migration and border management.<\/p>\n<p>However, huge sums have been diverted to networks of militiamen and traffickers who exploit migrants, according to a 2019 AP investigation. Coast guard members are also complicit, turning migrants intercepted at sea over to detention centres under deals with militias or demanding payoffs to let others go.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6614542611415168\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//06//42//26//10//808x535_cmsv2_e514b72f-684e-553e-b519-36559d2ec6ed-6422610.jpg/" alt=\"Nicolae Dumitrache\/Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/42\/26\/10\/384x254_cmsv2_e514b72f-684e-553e-b519-36559d2ec6ed-6422610.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/42\/26\/10\/640x423_cmsv2_e514b72f-684e-553e-b519-36559d2ec6ed-6422610.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/42\/26\/10\/750x496_cmsv2_e514b72f-684e-553e-b519-36559d2ec6ed-6422610.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/42\/26\/10\/828x548_cmsv2_e514b72f-684e-553e-b519-36559d2ec6ed-6422610.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/42\/26\/10\/1080x714_cmsv2_e514b72f-684e-553e-b519-36559d2ec6ed-6422610.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/42\/26\/10\/1200x794_cmsv2_e514b72f-684e-553e-b519-36559d2ec6ed-6422610.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/42\/26\/10\/1920x1270_cmsv2_e514b72f-684e-553e-b519-36559d2ec6ed-6422610.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">The Italian Navy Giuseppe Garibaldi light aircraft carrier sails on the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Sicily<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Nicolae Dumitrache\/Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>EU money, much of it funnelled through Italy, has been used to train staff and refurbish boats for Libyan authorities. The Libyan coast guard also received satellite phones and uniforms and will get three new patrol vessels in the next two years.<\/p>\n<p>To intercept the small unseaworthy migrant boats in the Mediterranean, Libyan authorities also depend on surveillance gathered and shared by European drones, aircraft, and radar. But even then the political chaos in the country often impacts search-and-rescue operations.<\/p>\n<p>Irregular migration from North Africa to Italy and Malta spiked in 2021 after a drop in 2020 largely due to the coronavirus pandemic. Crossings on the central Mediterranean accounted for one-third of all reported illegal border-crossings into Europe, according to Frontex.<\/p>\n<p>But as departures increased, so did interceptions. Last year, the Libyan coast guard picked up and returned to Libya more than 32,000 migrants, nearly triple the number for 2020.<\/p>\n<p>Yet despite all the equipment and training provided to Libya to save lives, more than 1,500 people died or went missing last year, the highest death toll since 2017.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1643110954,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1643116170,"firstPublishedAt":1643116176,"lastPublishedAt":1643116176,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/42\/26\/10\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_d8241924-2393-58fa-ba89-14380bac4225-6422610.jpg","altText":"African migrants who were on boats in distress in the Mediterranean on their way to Europe, and rescued by the Libyan coast guard arrive to shore, east of the capital, Tripoli","caption":"African migrants who were on boats in distress in the Mediterranean on their way to Europe, and rescued by the Libyan coast guard arrive to shore, east of the capital, Tripoli","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Libyan Coast Guard via AP","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/42\/26\/10\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_e514b72f-684e-553e-b519-36559d2ec6ed-6422610.jpg","altText":"The Italian Navy Giuseppe Garibaldi light aircraft carrier sails on the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Sicily","caption":"The Italian Navy Giuseppe Garibaldi light aircraft carrier sails on the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Sicily","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Nicolae Dumitrache\/Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":3837,"height":2538},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/42\/26\/10\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_883a7e6d-d93f-5269-a666-aebd59d38eec-6422610.jpg","altText":"Migrants are transferd by Italian sailors from the German combat supply ship 'Frankfurt am Main' to the their ship 'Grecale' after being rescued off the coast of libya","caption":"Migrants are transferd by Italian sailors from the German combat supply ship 'Frankfurt am Main' to the their ship 'Grecale' after being rescued off the coast of libya","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Matthias Schrader\/Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":3924,"height":2616}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":16799,"slug":"african-migrants","urlSafeValue":"african-migrants","title":"African migrants","titleRaw":"African migrants"},{"id":105,"slug":"european-union","urlSafeValue":"european-union","title":"European Union","titleRaw":"European Union"},{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"image","count":2}],"related":[{"id":1909904}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"hasExternalVideo":0,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":0,"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"AP","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Euronews","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'castrol_negative_uk','neg_mobkoi_castrol','neg_facebook_2021','neg_saudiaramco','gs_politics','neg_facebook','gv_crime','gt_negative','gs_politics_misc','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','sm_politics','neg_facebook_neg1','gt_negative_anger','gv_death_injury','gs_society_misc','gs_law_misc','gv_military','gs_society','gs_law'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2022\/01\/25\/eu-report-calls-for-libya-training-to-continue-despite-migrant-abuse-claims","lastModified":1643116176},{"id":1782878,"cid":6331286,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"211227_WBWB_44230272","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"WEB LIBYA MIGRANT DEATHS","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"At least 28 migrants' bodies found lined up on Libya's western coast","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"At least 28 migrants' bodies found lined up on Libya's western coast","titleListing2":"At least 28 migrants' bodies found lined up on Libya's western coast","leadin":"Libya's Interior Ministry believes the bodies recovered belonged to a group of 60 people supposedly missing at sea.","summary":"Libya's Interior Ministry believes the bodies recovered belonged to a group of 60 people supposedly missing at sea.","keySentence":"","url":"at-least-28-migrants-bodies-found-lined-up-on-libya-s-western-coast","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2021\/12\/27\/at-least-28-migrants-bodies-found-lined-up-on-libya-s-western-coast","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"The bodies of at least 28 migrants, including a baby and two women, have washed up on Libya's western coast after their boat sunk, a security official said Sunday. \n\n\"Libyan Red Crescent teams recovered 28 bodies of dead migrants and found three survivors at two different sites on the beaches of Al-Alous,\" the source revealed. \n\nThe Libyan Red Crescent said the bodies were found late on Saturday in two separate locations in the coastal town of Khoms, some 90 kilometres from Tripoli. \n\nThe Interior Ministry believes the bodies recovered belonged to a group of 60 people supposedly missing at sea. \n\n\"The bodies' advanced state of decomposition indicates that the shipwreck happened several days ago,\" he added, adding that the toll could rise in the coming hours. \n\n\"Of course, the refrigerator of the Khoms hospital can deal with fresh corpses, but decomposing corpses are difficult to work with and store in the refrigerator, now the bodies are in the refrigerator, and God willing, the bodies will be shown to the coroner tomorrow,\" explained Osama Jumaa Al-Saket, the general director of Khoms Hospital. \n\nImages published by Libyan media outlets showed corpses lined up along the shore then placed in body bags, in the latest tragedy on the world's deadliest migration route. \n\nSome were luckier \u2014 last Thursday, the NGO vessel Sea-Eye disembarked in Sicily, bringing 214 people to safety, after being first refused disembarkation in Malta. \n\nLibya, wracked by a decade of conflict and lawlessness, has become a key departure point for African and Asian migrants making desperate attempts to reach Europe. \n\nMigrants often endure horrific conditions in Libya before embarking northwards on overcrowded, often unseaworthy vessels that frequently sink or get into trouble. \n\nThe latest tragedy comes just days after 160 migrants died within a week in similar incidents, bringing the total number of lives lost this year to 1,500, according to the International Organization for Migration. \n\nThe IOM says more than 30,000 migrants have been intercepted in the same period and returned to Libya. \n\nThe European Union has cooperated closely with the Libyan Coast Guard to cut numbers of migrants arriving on European shores. \n\nOn their return, many face further horrific abuses in detention centres. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>The bodies of at least 28 migrants, including a baby and two women, have washed up on Libya's western coast after their boat sunk, a security official said Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>\"Libyan Red Crescent teams recovered 28 bodies of dead migrants and found three survivors at two different sites on the beaches of Al-Alous,\" the source revealed.<\/p>\n<p>The Libyan Red Crescent said the bodies were found late on Saturday in two separate locations in the coastal town of Khoms, some 90 kilometres from Tripoli.<\/p>\n<p>The Interior Ministry believes the bodies recovered belonged to a group of 60 people supposedly missing at sea.<\/p>\n<p>\"The bodies' advanced state of decomposition indicates that the shipwreck happened several days ago,\" he added, adding that the toll could rise in the coming hours.<\/p>\n<p>\"Of course, the refrigerator of the Khoms hospital can deal with fresh corpses, but decomposing corpses are difficult to work with and store in the refrigerator, now the bodies are in the refrigerator, and God willing, the bodies will be shown to the coroner tomorrow,\" explained Osama Jumaa Al-Saket, the general director of Khoms Hospital.<\/p>\n<p>Images published by Libyan media outlets showed corpses lined up along the shore then placed in body bags, in the latest tragedy on the world's deadliest migration route.<\/p>\n<p>Some were luckier \u2014 last Thursday, the NGO vessel Sea-Eye disembarked in Sicily, bringing 214 people to safety, after being first refused disembarkation in Malta.<\/p>\n<p>Libya, wracked by a decade of conflict and lawlessness, has become a key departure point for African and Asian migrants making desperate attempts to reach Europe.<\/p>\n<p>Migrants often endure horrific conditions in Libya before embarking northwards on overcrowded, often unseaworthy vessels that frequently sink or get into trouble.<\/p>\n<p>The latest tragedy comes just days after 160 migrants died within a week in similar incidents, bringing the total number of lives lost this year to 1,500, according to the International Organization for Migration.<\/p>\n<p>The IOM says more than 30,000 migrants have been intercepted in the same period and returned to Libya.<\/p>\n<p>The European Union has cooperated closely with the Libyan Coast Guard to cut numbers of migrants arriving on European shores.<\/p>\n<p>On their return, many face further horrific abuses in detention centres.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1640601880,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1640604342,"firstPublishedAt":1640604345,"lastPublishedAt":1640604345,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Yousef Murad \/ AP","altText":"Some of the 28 bodies of migrants that the Libyan Red Crescent said were found late Saturday lie in the mortuary of Khoms City Hospital, in Khoms, Libya, on Dec, 26, 2021. ","callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"caption":"Some of the 28 bodies of migrants that the Libyan Red Crescent said were found late Saturday lie in the mortuary of Khoms City Hospital, in Khoms, Libya, on Dec, 26, 2021. ","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/33\/12\/86\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_60646e6c-c67f-5582-973d-a20f92db9fc6-6331286.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":900}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"joly","twitter":null,"id":2118,"title":"Josephine Joly"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"libya","titleRaw":"Libya","id":172,"title":"Libya","slug":"libya"},{"urlSafeValue":"migrants","titleRaw":"Migrants","id":13190,"title":"Migrants","slug":"migrants"},{"urlSafeValue":"shipwreck","titleRaw":"shipwreck","id":18658,"title":"shipwreck","slug":"shipwreck"},{"urlSafeValue":"sea-rescue","titleRaw":"sea rescue","id":20840,"title":"sea rescue","slug":"sea-rescue"},{"urlSafeValue":"europe","titleRaw":"Europe","id":9239,"title":"Europe","slug":"europe"},{"urlSafeValue":"european-union","titleRaw":"European Union","id":105,"title":"European Union","slug":"european-union"}],"widgets":[],"related":[{"id":1777516}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":{"youtubeId":"PSu3ZhfZuPU","dailymotionId":"x86lk7r"},"hasExternalVideo":1,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":1,"video":1,"videos":[{"duration":59920,"editor":"","filesizeBytes":5967039,"format":"mp4","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/WB\/WB\/21\/12\/27\/en\/211227_WBWB_44230272_44230269_59920_114902_en.mp4","expiresAt":0,"quality":"md"},{"duration":59920,"editor":"","filesizeBytes":9907754,"format":"mp4","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/EN\/WB\/WB\/21\/12\/27\/en\/211227_WBWB_44230272_44230269_59920_114902_en.mp4","expiresAt":0,"quality":"hd"}],"liveStream":[{"endDate":0,"startDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"AFP","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World 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Libya election","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Gadhafi's son announces candidacy for president of Libya","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Gadhafi's son announces candidacy for president of Libya","titleListing2":"The son and one-time heir apparent of late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi announced Sunday his candidacy for the country's presidential election next month, Libya's election agency said.","leadin":"The son and one-time heir apparent of late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi announced Sunday his candidacy for the country's presidential election next month, Libya's election agency said.","summary":"The son and one-time heir apparent of late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi announced Sunday his candidacy for the country's presidential election next month, Libya's election agency said.","keySentence":"","url":"gadhafi-s-son-announces-candidacy-for-president-of-libya","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2021\/11\/14\/gadhafi-s-son-announces-candidacy-for-president-of-libya","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"The son and one-time heir apparent of late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi announced Sunday his candidacy for the country's presidential election next month, Libya's election agency said. \n\nSeif al-Islam, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity related to the 2011 uprising, submitted his candidacy papers in the southern town of Sabha, 650 kilometres south of the capital of Tripoli, the High National Elections Commission said in a statement. \n\nGadhafi\u2019s son was captured by fighters late in 2011, the year when a popular uprising toppled his father after more than 40 years in power. Moammar Gadhafi was later killed amid the ensuing fighting that would turn into a civil war. \n\nIn a video shared by an election official, Seif al-Islam addressed the camera, saying that God will decide the right path for the country's future. He wore spectacles and a traditional Libyan robe and turban. It was the first time in years that Seif al-Islam appeared in public. \n\nSeif al-Islam was released in June 2017 after more than five years of detention. In July he told The New York Times in an interview that he was considering a run for the country's top office. His candidacy is likely to stir controversy across the country. \n\nSeif al-Islam is wanted by the ICC on charges of crimes against humanity allegedly committed in the first weeks of the 2011 uprising. \n\nLibya is set to hold presidential elections on Dec. 24, after years of U.N.-led attempts to usher in a more democratic future and bring the country's war to an end. Following the overthrow and killing of Gadhafi, oil-rich Libya spent most of the last decade spilt between rival governments \u2014 one based in the capital, Tripoli, and the other in the eastern part of the country. \n\nThe announcement came after an international conference in Paris on Friday expressed support for holding \u201cfree, fair, inclusive and credible presidential and parliamentary elections\u201d on Dec. 24. \n\nThe long-awaited vote still faces challenges, including unresolved issues over election laws and occasional infighting among armed groups. Other obstacles include the deep rift that remains between the country\u2019s east and west, split for years by the war, and the presence of thousands of foreign fighters and troops. \n\nGadhafi the dictator had eight children, most of whom played significant roles in his regime. His son Muatassim was killed at the same time Gadhafi was captured and slain. Two other sons, Seif al-Arab and Khamis, were killed earlier in the uprising. Another son, al-Saadi Gadhafi, was released in September after more than seven years of detention in the capital of Tripoli following his extradition from neighbouring Niger. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>The son and one-time heir apparent of late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi announced Sunday his candidacy for the country's presidential election next month, Libya's election agency said.<\/p>\n<p>Seif al-Islam, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity related to the 2011 uprising, submitted his candidacy papers in the southern town of Sabha, 650 kilometres south of the capital of Tripoli, the High National Elections Commission said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>Gadhafi\u2019s son was captured by fighters late in 2011, the year when a popular uprising toppled his father after more than 40 years in power. Moammar Gadhafi was later killed amid the ensuing fighting that would turn into a civil war.<\/p>\n<p>In a video shared by an election official, Seif al-Islam addressed the camera, saying that God will decide the right path for the country's future. He wore spectacles and a traditional Libyan robe and turban. It was the first time in years that Seif al-Islam appeared in public.<\/p>\n<p>Seif al-Islam was released in June 2017 after more than five years of detention. In July he told The New York Times in an interview that he was considering a run for the country's top office. His candidacy is likely to stir controversy across the country.<\/p>\n<p>Seif al-Islam is wanted by the ICC on charges of crimes against humanity allegedly committed in the first weeks of the 2011 uprising.<\/p>\n<p>Libya is set to hold presidential elections on Dec. 24, after years of U.N.-led attempts to usher in a more democratic future and bring the country's war to an end. Following the overthrow and killing of Gadhafi, oil-rich Libya spent most of the last decade spilt between rival governments \u2014 one based in the capital, Tripoli, and the other in the eastern part of the country.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement came after an international conference in Paris on Friday expressed support for holding \u201cfree, fair, inclusive and credible presidential and parliamentary elections\u201d on Dec. 24.<\/p>\n<p>The long-awaited vote still faces challenges, including unresolved issues over election laws and occasional infighting among armed groups. Other obstacles include the deep rift that remains between the country\u2019s east and west, split for years by the war, and the presence of thousands of foreign fighters and troops.<\/p>\n<p>Gadhafi the dictator had eight children, most of whom played significant roles in his regime. His son Muatassim was killed at the same time Gadhafi was captured and slain. Two other sons, Seif al-Arab and Khamis, were killed earlier in the uprising. Another son, al-Saadi Gadhafi, was released in September after more than seven years of detention in the capital of Tripoli following his extradition from neighbouring Niger.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1636894938,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1636895120,"firstPublishedAt":1636895122,"lastPublishedAt":1636907283,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/22\/81\/68\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_0a0786cf-4091-5c49-a4e7-f9dd0982b54a-6228168.jpg","altText":"FILE - Seif al-Islam is seen after his capture in the custody of revolutionary fighters in Zintan, Libya, Nov. 19, 2011.","caption":"FILE - Seif al-Islam is seen after his capture in the custody of revolutionary fighters in Zintan, Libya, Nov. 19, 2011.","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Ammar El-Darwish, File","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":2480,"height":1772}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"},{"id":8011,"slug":"muammar-gaddafi","urlSafeValue":"muammar-gaddafi","title":"Muammar Gaddafi","titleRaw":"Muammar Gaddafi"},{"id":25588,"slug":"election","urlSafeValue":"election","title":"Election","titleRaw":"Election"}],"widgets":[],"related":[{"id":1950958},{"id":1964824},{"id":2839427}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":{"youtubeId":"Fn_mdvNknq8","dailymotionId":"x85iptk"},"hasExternalVideo":1,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":1,"video":1,"videos":[{"format":"mp4","quality":"md","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/NW\/SU\/21\/11\/14\/en\/211114_NWSU_43556527_43559696_70000_171926_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":20000,"filesizeBytes":0,"expiresAt":0},{"format":"mp4","quality":"hd","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/EN\/NW\/SU\/21\/11\/14\/en\/211114_NWSU_43556527_43559696_70000_171926_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":20000,"filesizeBytes":0,"expiresAt":0}],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"AP","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'neg_facebook_2021','neg_facebook','gs_politics','gs_politics_misc','sm_politics','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','gv_military','gs_law_misc','gs_law','gv_death_injury'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2021\/11\/14\/gadhafi-s-son-announces-candidacy-for-president-of-libya","lastModified":1636907283},{"id":1692906,"cid":6135604,"versionId":2,"archive":0,"housenumber":"211008_WBSU_42980101","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"WEB LIBYA MIGRANTS SHOT DEAD","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Libyan guards 'shoot six migrants dead' at Tripoli detention centre","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Libyan guards 'shoot six migrants dead' at Tripoli detention centre","titleListing2":"Libyan guards 'shoot six migrants dead' at Tripoli detention centre","leadin":"The International Organization for Migration says the shooting was linked to notorious overcrowding at the centre where conditions are deplorable.","summary":"The International Organization for Migration says the shooting was linked to notorious overcrowding at the centre where conditions are deplorable.","keySentence":"","url":"libyan-guards-shoot-six-migrants-dead-at-tripoli-detention-centre","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2021\/10\/08\/libyan-guards-shoot-six-migrants-dead-at-tripoli-detention-centre","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Libyan guards shot dead six African migrants in a detention centre in Tripoli on Friday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said, denouncing \"terrible\" living conditions in the overcrowded place. \n\nThe shooting took place in the Al-Mabani detention centre where some 3,000 migrants are being held, IOM official Federico Soda told AFP. \"Six migrants in total were killed by the guards,\" he said. \n\n\"We do not know what caused the incident but it is in connection with the overcrowding of migrants who live in terrible and tense conditions,\" he added. \"Many migrants escaped during the chaos.\" \n\nAccording to Soda, the Al-Mabani detention centre has a capacity of 1,000 detainees but more than 3,000 are crowded there, about 2,000 of them outside the main building but within the complex perimeter. \n\n\"Their detention is arbitrary. Many of them have their papers in order but are stranded in the country,\" he said. \n\nLibya is an important crossing point for tens of thousands of migrants, mostly from Saharan African countries, seeking each year to reach Europe via the Italian coastline, some 300 kilometres away. \n\nSeveral NGOs and UN agencies regularly denounce the deplorable conditions in detention centres in Libya, where over the past ten years smugglers and traffickers have taken advantage of the climate of instability that followed the 2011 revolt, turning Libya into a hub of human smuggling in Africa. \n\n'Crimes against humanity' \n\nIn early October, an \"anti-drug\" operation carried out by the Libyan authorities in a suburb of Tripoli, which mainly targeted irregular migrants, left one dead and at least fifteen injured, according to the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). At least 5,000 people, including women and children, have been arrested, according to M\u00e9decins Sans Fronti\u00e8res (MSF). \n\nOn Monday, a UN expert fact-finding mission released a report denouncing \"war crimes\" and \"crimes against humanity\" committed in Libya since 2016, in particular against migrants. \n\nMigrants are subjected to all kinds of violence \"in detention centers and by traffickers\", according to the text. \"Our survey shows that attacks against migrants are committed on a large scale by state and non-state actors, with a high degree of organization and with the encouragement of the state - all aspects that suggest that these are crimes against humanity.\" \n\nMany journeys linked to illegal immigration have ended in tragedy. The latest occurred on Tuesday when the lifeless bodies of 17 migrants were discovered on the Libyan west coast after their boat sank. \n\n\nThe number of migrants who died at sea trying to reach Europe has more than doubled this year compared to the same period in 2020, according to IOM figures released in July. In September, the IOM counted 1,369 migrants who had drowned in the Mediterranean since the start of the year. \n\n\nLibya is trying to turn the page on a decade of chaos since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, killed in a popular revolt. \n\nOvercoming the years of conflict, a transitional government was installed in March, under the auspices of the UN, to lead the country towards elections scheduled for December and January but which remain up in the air due to persisting divisions. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Libyan guards shot dead six African migrants in a detention centre in Tripoli on Friday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said, denouncing \"terrible\" living conditions in the overcrowded place.<\/p>\n<p>The shooting took place in the Al-Mabani detention centre where some 3,000 migrants are being held, IOM official Federico Soda told AFP. \"Six migrants in total were killed by the guards,\" he said.<\/p>\n<p>\"We do not know what caused the incident but it is in connection with the overcrowding of migrants who live in terrible and tense conditions,\" he added. \"Many migrants escaped during the chaos.\"<\/p>\n<p>According to Soda, the Al-Mabani detention centre has a capacity of 1,000 detainees but more than 3,000 are crowded there, about 2,000 of them outside the main building but within the complex perimeter.<\/p>\n<p>\"Their detention is arbitrary. Many of them have their papers in order but are stranded in the country,\" he said.<\/p>\n<p>Libya is an important crossing point for tens of thousands of migrants, mostly from Saharan African countries, seeking each year to reach Europe via the Italian coastline, some 300 kilometres away.<\/p>\n<p>Several NGOs and UN agencies regularly denounce the deplorable conditions in detention centres in Libya, where over the past ten years smugglers and traffickers have taken advantage of the climate of instability that followed the 2011 revolt, turning Libya into a hub of human smuggling in Africa.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-widget-related\" data-stories-id=\"5662786,5881454\" data-event=\"widget_related\">\n <div class=\"c-widget-related__title\">\n <b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\" lang=\"en\">Related<\/b>\n <\/div>\n <ul class=\"c-widget-related__list\">\n <li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2021//07//16//migrants-returned-to-libya-suffer-horrific-abuse-amnesty-says/">Migrants returned to Libya suffer horrific abuse, Amnesty says<\/a><\/li><li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2021//07//30//a-hotbed-of-squalor-and-torture-libya-is-closing-its-migrant-detention-centres/">Libya's detention centre closures: lancing lawlessness or consolidating poltical control? <\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>'Crimes against humanity'<\/h2>\n<p>In early October, an \"anti-drug\" operation carried out by the Libyan authorities in a suburb of Tripoli, which mainly targeted irregular migrants, left one dead and at least fifteen injured, according to the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). At least 5,000 people, including women and children, have been arrested, according to M\u00e9decins Sans Fronti\u00e8res (MSF).<\/p>\n<p>On Monday, a UN expert fact-finding mission released a report denouncing \"war crimes\" and \"crimes against humanity\" committed in Libya since 2016, in particular against migrants.<\/p>\n<p>Migrants are subjected to all kinds of violence \"in detention centers and by traffickers\", according to the text. \"Our survey shows that attacks against migrants are committed on a large scale by state and non-state actors, with a high degree of organization and with the encouragement of the state - all aspects that suggest that these are crimes against humanity.\"<\/p>\n<p>Many journeys linked to illegal immigration have ended in tragedy. The latest occurred on Tuesday when the lifeless bodies of 17 migrants were discovered on the Libyan west coast after their boat sank. <\/p>\n<div class=\"c-widget-related\" data-stories-id=\"5874182,6122882\" data-event=\"widget_related\">\n <div class=\"c-widget-related__title\">\n <b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\" lang=\"en\">Related<\/b>\n <\/div>\n <ul class=\"c-widget-related__list\">\n <li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2021//07//14//migrant-deaths-on-sea-routes-to-europe-more-than-double-says-new-un-report/">Migrant deaths on sea routes to Europe more than double, says new UN report<\/a><\/li><li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2021//10//04//hundreds-of-migrants-land-on-the-italian-island-of-lampedusa/">Hundreds of migrants land on the Italian island of Lampedusa<\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>The number of migrants who died at sea trying to reach Europe has more than doubled this year compared to the same period in 2020, according to IOM figures released in July. In September, the IOM counted 1,369 migrants who had drowned in the Mediterranean since the start of the year.<\/h2>\n<p>Libya is trying to turn the page on a decade of chaos since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, killed in a popular revolt.<\/p>\n<p>Overcoming the years of conflict, a transitional government was installed in March, under the auspices of the UN, to lead the country towards elections scheduled for December and January but which remain up in the air due to persisting divisions.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1633722418,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1633724829,"firstPublishedAt":1633724833,"lastPublishedAt":1633725201,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/13\/56\/04\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_6bd69cbf-45b2-5e5e-b951-c7080264c29b-6135604.jpg","altText":"Migrants recaptured by Libyan security forces following an escape attempt from a detention centre in the capital Tripoli, October 8, 2021. Guards shot six migrants dead. ","caption":"Migrants recaptured by Libyan security forces following an escape attempt from a detention centre in the capital Tripoli, October 8, 2021. Guards shot six migrants dead. ","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"HUSSAM AHMED \/ AFP","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1280,"height":825}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":13190,"slug":"migrants","urlSafeValue":"migrants","title":"Migrants","titleRaw":"Migrants"},{"id":13878,"slug":"shooting","urlSafeValue":"shooting","title":"shooting","titleRaw":"shooting"},{"id":13414,"slug":"mediterranean-sea","urlSafeValue":"mediterranean-sea","title":"Mediterranean Sea","titleRaw":"Mediterranean Sea"},{"id":22682,"slug":"guard","urlSafeValue":"guard","title":"guard","titleRaw":"guard"},{"id":16833,"slug":"tripoli","urlSafeValue":"tripoli","title":"Tripoli","titleRaw":"Tripoli"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"related","count":2}],"related":[{"id":1713786},{"id":2798698}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"hasExternalVideo":0,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":0,"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"AFP with Euronews","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":{"id":4252,"urlSafeValue":"tripoli","title":"Tripoli"},"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'castrol_negative_uk','neg_mobkoi_castrol','neg_umw_fs_12oct202','neg_saudiaramco','gv_death_injury','neg_facebook_2021'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2021\/10\/08\/libyan-guards-shoot-six-migrants-dead-at-tripoli-detention-centre","lastModified":1633725201},{"id":1685224,"cid":6117396,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"211001_TCSU_42854768","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"TRAVEL_LEPTIS_MAGNA_LIBYA","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Leptis Magna: The UNESCO World Heritage site you\u2019ve probably never heard of","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"The Roman city lost to the Libyan Civil War","titleListing2":"Leptis Magna: The UNESCO World Heritage site you\u2019ve probably never heard of","leadin":"A forgotten historical gem in Libya is the best kept Roman ruin outside of Italy.","summary":"A forgotten historical gem in Libya is the best kept Roman ruin outside of Italy.","keySentence":"","url":"leptis-magna-the-unesco-world-heritage-site-you-ve-probably-never-heard-of","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/travel\/2021\/10\/02\/leptis-magna-the-unesco-world-heritage-site-you-ve-probably-never-heard-of","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"One of the Roman Empire's most beautiful cities, Leptis Magna now lies neglected after a decade of civil war in Libya. \n\nPerched on a hillside above the Mediterranean, the UNESCO World Heritage site includes a large basilica, a racecourse and an amphitheatre which once seated up to 15,000 spectators. \n\nFounded by the Phoenicians before being conquered by Rome, the city was the birthplace of Septimius Severus, who rose to become emperor from 193 AD until 211 AD. Septimius favored his hometown above all other provincial cities. And the wealth he lavished on it made Leptis Magna the third-most important city in Africa, rivaling both Carthage and Alexandria. \n\nVisiting the city now is \"a voyage in time, a dive into history\", enthuses Abdessalam Oueba, a Libyan tourist in his 60s. \n\nThe site remains largely unknown outside of Libya, after years of conflict prohibited tourists from visiting the region. The violence - a consequence of the Libya Revolt of 2011 - ignited fears for the ancient ruins, prompting UNESCO to place it on a list of endangered heritage sites. \n\nBut so far, the area has been spared from the fighting. \n\n\"There haven't been any direct attacks or threats against Leptis Magna, despite the conflict,\" said Azeddine al-Fakih, head of the site's antiquities department. \n\nYet it faces other threats: a lack of resources and government support. \n\n\"In 2020, we were finally able to launch projects that should have been finished 50 years ago,\" he said, listing toilet facilities, offices and a perimeter fence. \n\nFakih admits that after 10 years of conflict and state collapse, Libya's current unity government \"has bigger problems to deal with\". \n\nThere was almost no tourism in Libya under Kadhafi, whose rule from 1969 - 2011 depended heavily on the country's vast oil wealth. Kadhafi began issuing tourist visas for the first time in 2003, and even created a ministry of tourism as the regime began mending ties with the West. But all that stopped in 2011, when a NATO-backed revolt overthrew Kadhafi, plunging the country into years of chaos. \n\nNow, a year-long lull in violence has sparked hopes the country can move on. \n\nLeptis Magna \"could be a source of income if it was managed properly\", says Fakih, who believes the ruins could become a world-famous tourist destination. \"It could create thousands of jobs, welcome millions of tourists and bring in billions of dollars. There will come a day when the oil runs out, but Leptis Magna will remain.\" \n\nWatch the video above to find out more. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>One of the Roman Empire's most beautiful cities, Leptis Magna now lies neglected after a decade of civil war in Libya.<\/p>\n<p>Perched on a hillside above the Mediterranean, the UNESCO World Heritage site includes a large basilica, a racecourse and an amphitheatre which once seated up to 15,000 spectators.<\/p>\n<p>Founded by the Phoenicians before being conquered by Rome, the city was the birthplace of Septimius Severus, who rose to become emperor from 193 AD until 211 AD. Septimius favored his hometown above all other provincial cities. And the wealth he lavished on it made Leptis Magna the third-most important city in Africa, rivaling both Carthage and Alexandria.<\/p>\n<p>Visiting the city now is \"a voyage in time, a dive into history\", enthuses Abdessalam Oueba, a Libyan tourist in his 60s.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-widget-related\" data-stories-id=\"5447102,5240260,5893014\" data-event=\"widget_related\">\n <div class=\"c-widget-related__title\">\n <b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\" lang=\"en\">Related<\/b>\n <\/div>\n <ul class=\"c-widget-related__list\">\n <li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//travel//2021//07//19//cyprus-bets-on-snorkelling-tourism-fancy-exploring-ruins-underwater/">Cyprus bets on snorkelling tourism: Fancy exploring ruins underwater?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2021//03//12//how-ancient-roman-ruins-can-teach-the-modern-world-about-accessible-travel/">How Ancient Roman ruins can teach the modern world about accessible travel<\/a><\/li><li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//travel//2020//12//30//archaeologists-discover-perfectly-preserved-snack-bar-in-pompeii-ruins/">Archaeologists discover perfectly preserved snack bar in Pompeii ruins<\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>The site remains largely unknown outside of Libya, after years of conflict prohibited tourists from visiting the region. The violence - a consequence of the Libya Revolt of 2011 - ignited fears for the ancient ruins, prompting UNESCO to place it on a list of endangered heritage sites.<\/p>\n<p>But so far, the area has been spared from the fighting.<\/p>\n<p>\"There haven't been any direct attacks or threats against Leptis Magna, despite the conflict,\" said Azeddine al-Fakih, head of the site's antiquities department.<\/p>\n<p>Yet it faces other threats: a lack of resources and government support.<\/p>\n<p>\"In 2020, we were finally able to launch projects that should have been finished 50 years ago,\" he said, listing toilet facilities, offices and a perimeter fence.<\/p>\n<p>Fakih admits that after 10 years of conflict and state collapse, Libya's current unity government \"has bigger problems to deal with\".<\/p>\n<p>There was almost no tourism in Libya under Kadhafi, whose rule from 1969 - 2011 depended heavily on the country's vast oil wealth. Kadhafi began issuing tourist visas for the first time in 2003, and even created a ministry of tourism as the regime began mending ties with the West. But all that stopped in 2011, when a NATO-backed revolt overthrew Kadhafi, plunging the country into years of chaos.<\/p>\n<p>Now, a year-long lull in violence has sparked hopes the country can move on.<\/p>\n<p>Leptis Magna \"could be a source of income if it was managed properly\", says Fakih, who believes the ruins could become a world-famous tourist destination. \"It could create thousands of jobs, welcome millions of tourists and bring in billions of dollars. There will come a day when the oil runs out, but Leptis Magna will remain.\"<\/p>\n<p><strong>Watch the video above to find out more.<\/strong><\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1633078579,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1633150833,"firstPublishedAt":1633088171,"lastPublishedAt":1633150840,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/11\/73\/96\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_0800353d-a2bb-55d3-b0da-cc9ca79c3888-6117396.jpg","altText":"The ruins of Leptis Magna, Libya","caption":"The ruins of Leptis Magna, Libya","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AFP","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"height":1080}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"id":2284,"urlSafeValue":"anthony","title":"Ben Anthony Horton","twitter":null}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[{"id":2284,"urlSafeValue":"anthony","title":"Ben Anthony 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5 AT SEA MIGRATION SHIPWRECK","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":6},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Mayday call over migrant rescue in Mediterranean","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":null,"titleListing2":"Mayday call over migrant rescue in Mediterranean","leadin":"Migrants clinging to an overturned boat off the Libyan coast were spotted by air and were rescued last week, NGO SeaWatch Italy said Friday","summary":"Migrants clinging to an overturned boat off the Libyan coast were spotted by air and were rescued last week, NGO SeaWatch Italy said Friday","keySentence":"","url":"mayday-call-over-migrant-rescue-in-mediterranean","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2021\/09\/03\/mayday-call-over-migrant-rescue-in-mediterranean","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Migrants clinging to an overturned boat off the Libyan coast were spotted by air and were rescued last week, NGO SeaWatch Italy said Friday. \n\nAccording to SeaWatch Italy, their reconnaissance airplane Seabird spotted the shipwreck off the Libyan coast last Friday and launched an SOS to rescue the migrants at sea. \n\nVideo shared by SeaWatch Italy on their Twitter account showed a group of migrants on the keel of an overturned dinghy as others tried to climb on. \n\nSubsequent pictures showed a Libyan coast guard ship approaching the vessel to rescue the migrants. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Migrants clinging to an overturned boat off the Libyan coast were spotted by air and were rescued last week, NGO SeaWatch Italy said Friday.<\/p>\n<p>According to SeaWatch Italy, their reconnaissance airplane Seabird spotted the shipwreck off the Libyan coast last Friday and launched an SOS to rescue the migrants at sea.<\/p>\n<p>Video shared by SeaWatch Italy on their Twitter account showed a group of migrants on the keel of an overturned dinghy as others tried to climb on.<\/p>\n<p>Subsequent pictures showed a Libyan coast guard ship approaching the vessel to rescue the migrants.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1630682030,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1630687140,"firstPublishedAt":1630687160,"lastPublishedAt":1630687160,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/06\/02\/81\/02\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_b038d12e-f38e-5b04-adf9-8d501de6da72-6028102.jpg","altText":null,"caption":null,"captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"height":1080}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":13414,"slug":"mediterranean-sea","urlSafeValue":"mediterranean-sea","title":"Mediterranean Sea","titleRaw":"Mediterranean Sea"},{"id":9369,"slug":"illegal-immigration","urlSafeValue":"illegal-immigration","title":"Illegal immigration","titleRaw":"Illegal immigration"},{"id":7919,"slug":"shipwrecks","urlSafeValue":"shipwrecks","title":"Shipwrecks","titleRaw":"Shipwrecks"},{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"},{"id":211,"slug":"ngo","urlSafeValue":"ngo","title":"NGO","titleRaw":"NGO"}],"widgets":[],"related":[],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":{"youtubeId":"QwMGZuVx9q8","dailymotionId":"x83xs62"},"hasExternalVideo":1,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":1,"video":1,"videos":[{"format":"mp4","quality":"md","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/NC\/SU\/21\/09\/03\/en\/210903_NCSU_42417765_42418222_60000_174417_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":60000,"filesizeBytes":5880048,"expiresAt":0},{"format":"mp4","quality":"hd","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/EN\/NC\/SU\/21\/09\/03\/en\/210903_NCSU_42417765_42418222_60000_174417_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":60000,"filesizeBytes":9848211,"expiresAt":0}],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"APTN","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Euronews","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"nocomment","urlSafeValue":"nocomment","title":"No 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LIBYA REFUGEE CENTRES","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Libya's detention centre closures: lancing lawlessness or consolidating poltical control? ","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"A hotbed of squalor and torture, Libya's detention centres are closing","titleListing2":"Libya's detention centre closures: lancing lawlessness or consolidating poltical control? ","leadin":"The country's provisional government says it wants to end lawlessness in the camps, but migrants still dream of a life in Europe.","summary":"The country's provisional government says it wants to end lawlessness in the camps, but migrants still dream of a life in Europe.","keySentence":"","url":"a-hotbed-of-squalor-and-torture-libya-is-closing-its-migrant-detention-centres","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2021\/07\/30\/a-hotbed-of-squalor-and-torture-libya-is-closing-its-migrant-detention-centres","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Libya has been closing its migrant detention centres despite concerns in Europe about rising numbers of people attempting the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean. \n\nThe reason, says the man in charge of running them, is that they are themselves a hotspot for smugglers. \n\nAuthorities believe the centres in al-Khums and Zawiya, both towns within a few hours\u2019 drive of the capital Tripoli, were the very place where migrants would travel in order to buy their way into Europe. \n\nThey were also the scene of some gruesome abuses. \n\nThe centres ordered shut by the head of the Department for Combating Illegal Immigration (DCIM), which is part of Libya\u2019s interior ministry. \n\nColonel Mabrouk Abd al-Hafiz, who runs the DCIM, said the closures would help disrupt smuggling networks and allow the provisional government to take greater control. \n\nThe reality is that many facilities were under the control of militias and conditions inside were deplorable. \n\nHotbeds of torture and violence \n\nEuronews spoke to refugees and survivors in Tripoli who recounted acts of kidnapping for ransom, torture, sexual violence, forced labour and killing \u2014 all happening within these centres. \n\nLibya\u2019s provisional government was only formed two months ago after years of civil war devastated the country. \n\nThe conditions allowed corruption to flourish, Col Abd al-Hafiz said: \u201cThe problem is not only with the militiamen or the individuals taking advantage of the situation, but also with the lobby which is anchored in state institutions. \n\n\u201cThis includes people from my own agency.\u201d \n\nThere are currently 21 detention centres in Libya holding an estimated 3,000 migrants. Their history can be traced back to when the country was run by Muammar Gaddafi. \n\nAll were established to deter onward migration to Europe and all are, notionally at least, under the DCIM\u2019s authority today. Moreover, EU efforts to work with Libyan authorities to improve conditions in the centres have so far been ineffective, according to human rights and aid groups. \n\nThousands of kilometres \n\nIn addition to those at al-Kums and Zawiya, another centre now closed was in the inland city of Zintan. Euronews visited it last December as it was being wound up. \n\nAt the time, many refugees recounted how they had been waiting for weeks for a safe transfer. \n\nOne had travelled around 3,500 kilometres from Eritrea in east Africa \u2014 the equivalent of a journey overland from Moscow to Madrid. \n\n\u201cOut of desperation, many refugees started to find their way to Tripoli,\u201d said the Eritrean refugee, who was considering paying a smuggler for a lift to cover the remaining 165 km north to the Mediterranean coast. \n\nLeaked internal emails between United Nations agencies suggest that the decision to move people out of Zintan was planned, and then postponed, multiple times. \n\nInto the arms of smugglers \n\n\u201cDCIM have agreed to support the release and movement of 325 persons of concern to UNHCR [the United Nations refugee agency] from Zintan Detention Centre to Tripoli over the period of eight days starting on Monday, 7 December and until 16 December 2020,\u201d one message reads. \n\nBut delays meant the plan was only put into action in January, by which time just 120 people were left waiting at the centre. \n\nThe emails show that as the UN and other international agencies in Libya struggled to coordinate a response plan, other refugees escaped using smuggler networks. \n\nAt other centres, the picture is significantly more grim. \n\nIn Zawiya, the Abu Issa Detention Centre is still open despite the recent order to shut it. Around 100 refugees including women and children remain. \n\nOne Moroccan former detainee told an internal UN report seen by Euronews that they were often stripped naked while being searched. \n\nIt is a picture seen around the country: thousands of migrants and refugees continue to be held with little sign of the provisional Libyan authorities\u2019 plan to create safer, dignified alternatives to detention. \n\nAs other camps are opened \n\nThis year, a new refugee collection and return centre opened in Tripoli. Named Al-Mabani, it is in an area of Tripoli controlled by the militia leader Emad al Tarabulsi, who was appointed by Libya\u2019s former prime minister to a senior position in the intelligence service. \n\nLocal rights groups say his militia is known to extort refugees and migrants, many of whom were reported missing after they were detained. \n\nIn some cases, refugees and migrants paid guards between 1,000 and 7,500 Libyan dinars (\u20ac185 - \u20ac1,390 at the official exchange rate) to secure their freedom. \n\nIn other cases they tried to escape, despite the risk of being shot or beaten. \n\nAccording to international medical organisations that visited, detainees here have little natural light and ventilation, not enough food and clean drinking water, and limited access to toilets and showers. \n\nAl-Mabani is also extremely violent: on April 8 a person was killed in a shooting, while two teenagers with gunshot wounds were transferred for urgent medical care by the non-governmental organisation Doctors Without Borders. \n\nFrom conscription to detention \n\nTwelve years earlier, he had travelled in a different direction \u2013 from East Africa to Israel \u2013 on foot, a punishing journey across the Sahara and the Sinai that took more than a month. \n\nAfter seven years in Israel he was deported, as with many other unwanted Eritrean and Sudanese refugees, to Uganda. \n\nHe was recently released from Zintan, the inland detention centre, where he spent over two years in an overcrowded hangar with four barely functioning toilets, no shower and only sporadic access to water. \n\n\u201cI am lucky to survive from Zintan and come to Tripoli. I am lucky to be here and speak as a witness\u201d, he told Euronews. \n\nHe lives now in Gargaresh, on the outskirts of Tripoli, among hundreds of people in overcrowded, unfinished buildings. \n\nBut there are very few resettlement flights these days. UNHCR estimates that of the 5,200 people in Libya needing resettlement so far this year, the agency has received just 830 direct pledges from Italy, Norway, Sweden or Canada. \n\nNo prospects for change \n\nEritreans like Tumzi have received a letter from the agency saying that \u201cafter carefully examining their situation\u201d, it is not possible for them to be evacuated to a third country because the availability of places is very limited. \n\nFor Col Abd al-Hafiz, who leads the Libyan DCIM agency, it is UNCHR that is responsible for the situation. \n\n\u201cFrankly, we don't understand why UNHCR strives to prioritise people who have good incomes and decently live in cities, instead of evacuating those who are in deplorable conditions or detained for more than 3 years\u201d, he said. \n\nBut for people like Tumzi, who spent years in detention, the feeling of abandonment and fear dominate their thoughts of the future. \n\n\u201cWe are left with the only option to cross the sea. We are ignored by the international community. We are always waiting, but nothing.\u201d \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Libya has been closing its migrant detention centres despite concerns in Europe about rising numbers of people attempting the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n<p>The reason, says the man in charge of running them, is that they are themselves a hotspot for smugglers.<\/p>\n<p>Authorities believe the centres in al-Khums and Zawiya, both towns within a few hours\u2019 drive of the capital Tripoli, were the very place where migrants would travel in order to buy their way into Europe.<\/p>\n<p>They were also the scene of some gruesome abuses.<\/p>\n<p>The centres ordered shut by the head of the Department for Combating Illegal Immigration (DCIM), which is part of Libya\u2019s interior ministry.<\/p>\n<p>Colonel Mabrouk Abd al-Hafiz, who runs the DCIM, said the closures would help disrupt smuggling networks and allow the provisional government to take greater control.<\/p>\n<p>The reality is that many facilities were under the control of militias and conditions inside were deplorable.<\/p>\n<h2>Hotbeds of torture and violence<\/h2>\n<p>Euronews spoke to refugees and survivors in Tripoli who recounted acts of kidnapping for ransom, torture, sexual violence, forced labour and killing \u2014 all happening within these centres.<\/p>\n<p>Libya\u2019s provisional government was only formed two months ago after years of civil war devastated the country.<\/p>\n<p>The conditions allowed corruption to flourish, Col Abd al-Hafiz said: \u201cThe problem is not only with the militiamen or the individuals taking advantage of the situation, but also with the lobby which is anchored in state institutions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis includes people from my own agency.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"1.5188387893761581\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//05//66//27//86//808x1224_cmsv2_e3ea1888-9e69-5fc0-9b65-a6deb048e91c-5662786.jpg/" alt=\"AP\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/384x583_cmsv2_e3ea1888-9e69-5fc0-9b65-a6deb048e91c-5662786.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/640x972_cmsv2_e3ea1888-9e69-5fc0-9b65-a6deb048e91c-5662786.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/750x1139_cmsv2_e3ea1888-9e69-5fc0-9b65-a6deb048e91c-5662786.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/828x1258_cmsv2_e3ea1888-9e69-5fc0-9b65-a6deb048e91c-5662786.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/1080x1640_cmsv2_e3ea1888-9e69-5fc0-9b65-a6deb048e91c-5662786.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/1200x1823_cmsv2_e3ea1888-9e69-5fc0-9b65-a6deb048e91c-5662786.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/1920x2916_cmsv2_e3ea1888-9e69-5fc0-9b65-a6deb048e91c-5662786.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Many migrants say they were forced to beg for money from families to pay police to buy them food at the detention centres<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>There are currently 21 detention centres in Libya holding an estimated 3,000 migrants. Their history can be traced back to when the country was run by Muammar Gaddafi.<\/p>\n<p>All were established to deter onward migration to Europe and all are, notionally at least, under the DCIM\u2019s authority today. Moreover, EU efforts to work with Libyan authorities to improve conditions in the centres have so far been ineffective, according to human rights and aid groups.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-widget-related\" data-stories-id=\"5591350,4142594,4142632\" data-event=\"widget_related\">\n <div class=\"c-widget-related__title\">\n <b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\" lang=\"en\">Related<\/b>\n <\/div>\n <ul class=\"c-widget-related__list\">\n <li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2019//10//02//unhcr-in-libya-part-1-from-standing-withrefugees-to-standing-withstates/">UNHCR in Libya Part 1: From standing #WithRefugees to standing #WithStates?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2019//10//03//unhcr-in-libya-part-4-the-detention-centres-the-map-and-the-stories/">UNHCR in Libya Part 4: The detention centres - the map and the stories<\/a><\/li><li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2021//04//23//130-people-en-route-to-europe-feared-dead-in-shipwreck-off-libya-coast/">130 people en-route to Europe feared dead in shipwreck off Libya coast<\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>Thousands of kilometres<\/h2>\n<p>In addition to those at al-Kums and Zawiya, another centre now closed was in the inland city of Zintan. Euronews visited it last December as it was being wound up.<\/p>\n<p>At the time, many refugees recounted how they had been waiting for weeks for a safe transfer.<\/p>\n<p>One had travelled around 3,500 kilometres from Eritrea in east Africa \u2014 the equivalent of a journey overland from Moscow to Madrid.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOut of desperation, many refugees started to find their way to Tripoli,\u201d said the Eritrean refugee, who was considering paying a smuggler for a lift to cover the remaining 165 km north to the Mediterranean coast.<\/p>\n<p>Leaked internal emails between United Nations agencies suggest that the decision to move people out of Zintan was planned, and then postponed, multiple times.<\/p>\n<h2>Into the arms of smugglers<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cDCIM have agreed to support the release and movement of 325 persons of concern to UNHCR [the United Nations refugee agency] from Zintan Detention Centre to Tripoli over the period of eight days starting on Monday, 7 December and until 16 December 2020,\u201d one message reads.<\/p>\n<p>But delays meant the plan was only put into action in January, by which time just 120 people were left waiting at the centre.<\/p>\n<p>The emails show that as the UN and other international agencies in Libya struggled to coordinate a response plan, other refugees escaped using smuggler networks.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6697638404955478\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//05//66//27//86//808x542_cmsv2_a27107b5-48fc-5cad-8443-900ffc2a3b2a-5662786.jpg/" alt=\"Mohame Ben Khalifa\/Libya\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/384x257_cmsv2_a27107b5-48fc-5cad-8443-900ffc2a3b2a-5662786.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/640x429_cmsv2_a27107b5-48fc-5cad-8443-900ffc2a3b2a-5662786.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/750x502_cmsv2_a27107b5-48fc-5cad-8443-900ffc2a3b2a-5662786.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/828x555_cmsv2_a27107b5-48fc-5cad-8443-900ffc2a3b2a-5662786.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/1080x723_cmsv2_a27107b5-48fc-5cad-8443-900ffc2a3b2a-5662786.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/1200x804_cmsv2_a27107b5-48fc-5cad-8443-900ffc2a3b2a-5662786.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/1920x1286_cmsv2_a27107b5-48fc-5cad-8443-900ffc2a3b2a-5662786.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Migrants detained in Tripoli in the summer of 2017<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Mohame Ben Khalifa\/Libya<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>At other centres, the picture is significantly more grim.<\/p>\n<p>In Zawiya, the Abu Issa Detention Centre is still open despite the recent order to shut it. Around 100 refugees including women and children remain.<\/p>\n<p>One Moroccan former detainee told an internal UN report seen by Euronews that they were often stripped naked while being searched.<\/p>\n<p>It is a picture seen around the country: thousands of migrants and refugees continue to be held with little sign of the provisional Libyan authorities\u2019 plan to create safer, dignified alternatives to detention.<\/p>\n<h2>As other camps are opened<\/h2>\n<p>This year, a new refugee collection and return centre opened in Tripoli. Named Al-Mabani, it is in an area of Tripoli controlled by the militia leader Emad al Tarabulsi, who was appointed by Libya\u2019s former prime minister to a senior position in the intelligence service.<\/p>\n<p>Local rights groups say his militia is known to extort refugees and migrants, many of whom were reported missing after they were detained.<\/p>\n<p>In some cases, refugees and migrants paid guards between 1,000 and 7,500 Libyan dinars (\u20ac185 - \u20ac1,390 at the official exchange rate) to secure their freedom.<\/p>\n<p>In other cases they tried to escape, despite the risk of being shot or beaten.<\/p>\n<p>According to international medical organisations that visited, detainees here have little natural light and ventilation, not enough food and clean drinking water, and limited access to toilets and showers.<\/p>\n<p>Al-Mabani is also extremely violent: on April 8 a person was killed in a shooting, while two teenagers with gunshot wounds were transferred for urgent medical care by the non-governmental organisation Doctors Without Borders.<\/p>\n<h2>From conscription to detention<\/h2>\n<p>Twelve years earlier, he had travelled in a different direction \u2013 from East Africa to Israel \u2013 on foot, a punishing journey across the Sahara and the Sinai that took more than a month.<\/p>\n<p>After seven years in Israel he was deported, as with many other unwanted Eritrean and Sudanese refugees, to Uganda.<\/p>\n<p>He was recently released from Zintan, the inland detention centre, where he spent over two years in an overcrowded hangar with four barely functioning toilets, no shower and only sporadic access to water.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6666666666666666\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//05//66//27//86//808x539_cmsv2_4ca42bc0-5719-51d3-b2c9-18b1db2b72b6-5662786.jpg/" alt=\"AP\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/384x256_cmsv2_4ca42bc0-5719-51d3-b2c9-18b1db2b72b6-5662786.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/640x427_cmsv2_4ca42bc0-5719-51d3-b2c9-18b1db2b72b6-5662786.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/750x500_cmsv2_4ca42bc0-5719-51d3-b2c9-18b1db2b72b6-5662786.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/828x552_cmsv2_4ca42bc0-5719-51d3-b2c9-18b1db2b72b6-5662786.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/1080x720_cmsv2_4ca42bc0-5719-51d3-b2c9-18b1db2b72b6-5662786.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/1200x800_cmsv2_4ca42bc0-5719-51d3-b2c9-18b1db2b72b6-5662786.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/1920x1280_cmsv2_4ca42bc0-5719-51d3-b2c9-18b1db2b72b6-5662786.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Khalid Mazen, the interior minister in Libya's transitional government, which oversees the DCIM network of detention centres<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>\u201cI am lucky to survive from Zintan and come to Tripoli. I am lucky to be here and speak as a witness\u201d, he told Euronews.<\/p>\n<p>He lives now in Gargaresh, on the outskirts of Tripoli, among hundreds of people in overcrowded, unfinished buildings.<\/p>\n<p>But there are very few resettlement flights these days. UNHCR estimates that of the 5,200 people in Libya needing resettlement so far this year, the agency has received just 830 direct pledges from Italy, Norway, Sweden or Canada.<\/p>\n<h2>No prospects for change<\/h2>\n<p>Eritreans like Tumzi have received a letter from the agency saying that \u201cafter carefully examining their situation\u201d, it is not possible for them to be evacuated to a third country because the availability of places is very limited.<\/p>\n<p>For Col Abd al-Hafiz, who leads the Libyan DCIM agency, it is UNCHR that is responsible for the situation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrankly, we don't understand why UNHCR strives to prioritise people who have good incomes and decently live in cities, instead of evacuating those who are in deplorable conditions or detained for more than 3 years\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n<p>But for people like Tumzi, who spent years in detention, the feeling of abandonment and fear dominate their thoughts of the future.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are left with the only option to cross the sea. We are ignored by the international community. We are always waiting, but nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1621234531,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1627654887,"firstPublishedAt":1627654891,"lastPublishedAt":1633349749,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_0a846359-44b5-5d7f-ba86-efc34c0456ec-5662786.jpg","altText":"People gathered inside a Tripoli detention centre, pictured in May 2017","caption":"People gathered inside a Tripoli detention centre, pictured in May 2017","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"UNHCR\/Iason Foounten","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":966,"height":644},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_e3ea1888-9e69-5fc0-9b65-a6deb048e91c-5662786.jpg","altText":"Many migrants say they were forced to beg for money from families to pay police to buy them food at the detention centres","caption":"Many migrants say they were forced to beg for money from families to pay police to buy them food at the detention centres","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1619,"height":2459},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_a27107b5-48fc-5cad-8443-900ffc2a3b2a-5662786.jpg","altText":"Migrants detained in Tripoli in the summer of 2017","caption":"Migrants detained in Tripoli in the summer of 2017","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Mohame Ben Khalifa\/Libya","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":2583,"height":1730},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/66\/27\/86\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_4ca42bc0-5719-51d3-b2c9-18b1db2b72b6-5662786.jpg","altText":"Khalid Mazen, the interior minister in Libya's transitional government, which oversees the DCIM network of detention centres","caption":"Khalid Mazen, the interior minister in Libya's transitional government, which oversees the DCIM network of detention centres","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":3360,"height":2240}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":8151,"slug":"refugees","urlSafeValue":"refugees","title":"Refugees","titleRaw":"Refugees"},{"id":16799,"slug":"african-migrants","urlSafeValue":"african-migrants","title":"African migrants","titleRaw":"African migrants"},{"id":22270,"slug":"libyan-national-accord-gna-","urlSafeValue":"libyan-national-accord-gna-","title":"Libyan National Accord (GNA)","titleRaw":"Libyan National Accord (GNA)"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"image","count":3},{"slug":"related","count":1}],"related":[],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"hasExternalVideo":0,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":0,"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Sara Creta","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'neg_facebook_2021','castrol_negative_uk','neg_mobkoi_castrol','neg_facebook_q4','neg_saudiaramco','gv_crime','gs_society','neg_bucherer','neg_nespresso','neg_facebook_neg1','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','gt_negative','gs_society_misc','gs_politics','gs_law_misc','gs_law','gs_politics_misc'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet-web","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2021\/07\/30\/a-hotbed-of-squalor-and-torture-libya-is-closing-its-migrant-detention-centres","lastModified":1633349749},{"id":1578936,"cid":5829820,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"210702_WBSU_41477050","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"WEB SEAWATCH LIBYA MIGRANT SHIP","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Caught on camera: Libyan coast guard shoots at migrant boat in Mediterranean Sea","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Caught on camera: Libyan coast guard shoots at migrant boat","titleListing2":"Caught on camera: Libyan coast guard shoots at migrant boat in Mediterranean Sea","leadin":"The German non-governmental group Sea-Watch filmed the incident while flying over the Mediterranean in an observation mission.","summary":"The German non-governmental group Sea-Watch filmed the incident while flying over the Mediterranean in an observation mission.","keySentence":"","url":"caught-on-camera-libyan-coast-guard-shoots-at-migrant-boat-in-mediterranean-sea","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2021\/07\/02\/caught-on-camera-libyan-coast-guard-shoots-at-migrant-boat-in-mediterranean-sea","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"A non-profit sea rescue group slammed Libya's coast guard on Thursday after it witnessed the Libyan maritime authorities in what it described as chasing a crowded migrant boat and shooting in its direction in an apparent effort to stop it from crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. \n\nMembers of the German non-governmental group \"Sea-Watch\" filmed the incident on Wednesday while flying over the area in an observation mission. \n\nIn the footage filmed from the plane, a blue wooden boat with a small engine and at least two dozen people onboard is seen being followed in circles at high speed by the Libyan coast guard. \n\nDuring the chase, which occurred in international waters under Malta's search and rescue responsibility, men in uniform on the Libyan vessel can be seen firing at least two times towards the boat, with bullets hitting the water close to the boat. \n\nThe Libyan coast guard came dangerously close to crashing into the boat several times. \n\nSea-Watch communicated to the Libyan authorities via radio that they were endangering the lives of the people on the blue vessel and urged them to stop shooting. \n\nThe Libyan coast guard replied in broken English that they were trying to rescue the migrants. \n\n\"These maneuvers that we have seen yesterday could easily kill persons, like easily. Everyone of us is really wondering how no one has died yesterday,\" said Felix Weiss, head of airborne operations at Sea-Watch. \n\n\"What is new and what is really outrageous in my point of view is as I said that Malta allows (it to happen inside its SAR zone),\" he added. \n\nThe Sea-Watch aircraft was short on fuel and turned back before the chase ended. \n\nIt later received reports the boat had arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa on Thursday morning. \n\nThere was no immediate comment on the incident from Libya, Malta or the authorities on Lampedusa. \n\nThe EU trains, equips and supports the Libyan coast guard to intercept people trying to cross the Central Mediterranean to Europe. \n\nSpeaking to Euronews in February , the navy chief in charge of the EU operation policing the waters said the European Union should give Libya more autonomy to deal with illegal immigration. \n\nAdmiral Fabio Agostini, the head of Operation Irini, said that the best way to stop migrants crossing to Europe was to help prepare the Libyan coast guard for tackling people smuggling. \n\n\"I believe that the best way to stop illegal immigration, to contribute to the dismantling of these human smuggling models, is to train the Libyan coast guard, the navy, just because we need to let them be more autonomous in dealing with security issues in their water of responsibility,\" Agostini said. \n\nAt least 723 people are known to have either died or gone missing taking this route on unseaworthy boats so far this year. \n\nNearly 15,000 men, women and children have been intercepted by the Libyan coast guard and returned to Libyan shores from the start of the year up to June 26, a record number. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>A non-profit sea rescue group slammed Libya's coast guard on Thursday after it witnessed the Libyan maritime authorities in what it described as chasing a crowded migrant boat and shooting in its direction in an apparent effort to stop it from crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.<\/p>\n<p>Members of the German non-governmental group \"Sea-Watch\" filmed the incident on Wednesday while flying over the area in an observation mission.<\/p>\n<p>In the footage filmed from the plane, a blue wooden boat with a small engine and at least two dozen people onboard is seen being followed in circles at high speed by the Libyan coast guard.<\/p>\n<p>During the chase, which occurred in international waters under Malta's search and rescue responsibility, men in uniform on the Libyan vessel can be seen firing at least two times towards the boat, with bullets hitting the water close to the boat.<\/p>\n<p>The Libyan coast guard came dangerously close to crashing into the boat several times.<\/p>\n<p>Sea-Watch communicated to the Libyan authorities via radio that they were endangering the lives of the people on the blue vessel and urged them to stop shooting.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1410584003065884677\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>The Libyan coast guard replied in broken English that they were trying to rescue the migrants.<\/p>\n<p>\"These maneuvers that we have seen yesterday could easily kill persons, like easily. Everyone of us is really wondering how no one has died yesterday,\" said Felix Weiss, head of airborne operations at Sea-Watch.<\/p>\n<p>\"What is new and what is really outrageous in my point of view is as I said that Malta allows (it to happen inside its SAR zone),\" he added.<\/p>\n<p>The Sea-Watch aircraft was short on fuel and turned back before the chase ended.<\/p>\n<p>It later received reports the boat had arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa on Thursday morning.<\/p>\n<p>There was no immediate comment on the incident from Libya, Malta or the authorities on Lampedusa.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-widget-related\" data-stories-id=\"5403832,5594620,5591350\" data-event=\"widget_related\">\n <div class=\"c-widget-related__title\">\n <b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\" lang=\"en\">Related<\/b>\n <\/div>\n <ul class=\"c-widget-related__list\">\n <li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//my-europe//2021//02//24//eu-must-give-libya-more-autonomy-over-stopping-europe-bound-migrants/">EU 'must give Libya more autonomy' over stopping Europe-bound migrants<\/a><\/li><li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2021//04//25//rescue-groups-and-pope-decry-inaction-by-italian-and-libyan-coastguard-as-130-die-at-sea/">Rescue groups and Pope decry inaction by Italy and Libya as 130 die at sea<\/a><\/li><li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2021//04//23//130-people-en-route-to-europe-feared-dead-in-shipwreck-off-libya-coast/">130 people en-route to Europe feared dead in shipwreck off Libya coast<\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>The EU trains, equips and supports the Libyan coast guard to intercept people trying to cross the Central Mediterranean to Europe.<\/p>\n<p><a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2021//02//24//eu-must-give-libya-more-autonomy-over-stopping-europe-bound-migrants/">Speaking to Euronews in February<\/strong><\/a>, the navy chief in charge of the EU operation policing the waters said the European Union should give Libya more autonomy to deal with illegal immigration.<\/p>\n<p>Admiral Fabio Agostini, the head of Operation Irini, said that the best way to stop migrants crossing to Europe was to help prepare the Libyan coast guard for tackling people smuggling.<\/p>\n<p>\"I believe that the best way to stop illegal immigration, to contribute to the dismantling of these human smuggling models, is to train the Libyan coast guard, the navy, just because we need to let them be more autonomous in dealing with security issues in their water of responsibility,\" Agostini said.<\/p>\n<p>At least 723 people are known to have either died or gone missing taking this route on unseaworthy boats so far this year.<\/p>\n<p>Nearly 15,000 men, women and children have been intercepted by the Libyan coast guard and returned to Libyan shores from the start of the year up to June 26, a record number.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1625217577,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1625219626,"firstPublishedAt":1625219639,"lastPublishedAt":1625219639,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/82\/98\/20\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_031c0861-4dd9-5a64-b055-5743ec3e833b-5829820.jpg","altText":"An overcrowded migrant boat, bottom, tries to escape from the Libyan Coast Guard in the Mediterranean, June 30, 2021. Sea-Watch is denouncing both Libya and the EU.","caption":"An overcrowded migrant boat, bottom, tries to escape from the Libyan Coast Guard in the Mediterranean, June 30, 2021. Sea-Watch is denouncing both Libya and the EU.","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Kai von Kotze\/Kai von Kotze","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":3421,"height":2280}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":13190,"slug":"migrants","urlSafeValue":"migrants","title":"Migrants","titleRaw":"Migrants"},{"id":13472,"slug":"coast-guard","urlSafeValue":"coast-guard","title":"Coast Guard","titleRaw":"Coast Guard"},{"id":17556,"slug":"boat","urlSafeValue":"boat","title":"boat","titleRaw":"boat"},{"id":13878,"slug":"shooting","urlSafeValue":"shooting","title":"shooting","titleRaw":"shooting"},{"id":13414,"slug":"mediterranean-sea","urlSafeValue":"mediterranean-sea","title":"Mediterranean Sea","titleRaw":"Mediterranean Sea"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"twitter","count":1},{"slug":"related","count":1}],"related":[{"id":1687886},{"id":1689104}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"hasExternalVideo":0,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":0,"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"AP","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Euronews","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'castrol_negative_uk','neg_mobkoi_castrol','neg_facebook_2021','neg_bucherer','gv_death_injury','neg_facebook','neg_facebook_q4','neg_saudiaramco','neg_mobkoi_feb2021','neg_nespresso','neg_umw_fs_12oct202','gv_crime','gs_society','gs_politics','gs_politics_misc','gs_society_misc','gt_negative'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2021\/07\/02\/caught-on-camera-libyan-coast-guard-shoots-at-migrant-boat-in-mediterranean-sea","lastModified":1625219639},{"id":1555600,"cid":5765444,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"210615_PESU_16312741","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"TRAVEL_Benghazi Bikers","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Meet the Libyan biker gang changing perceptions of their city","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"This biker gang are changing perceptions one rev at a time","titleListing2":"Meet the Libyan biker gang changing perceptions of their city","leadin":"Bikers from Libya's Mediterranean city of Benghazi, the cradle of its 2011 revolution and a one-time Islamist bastion, rev up their motors to show another side to their country and their gang.","summary":"Bikers from Libya's Mediterranean city of Benghazi, the cradle of its 2011 revolution and a one-time Islamist bastion, rev up their motors to show another side to their country and their gang.","keySentence":"","url":"meet-the-libyan-biker-gang-changing-perceptions-of-their-city","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/travel\/2021\/06\/15\/meet-the-libyan-biker-gang-changing-perceptions-of-their-city","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Benghazi Motorcycle Club aren\u2019t your average bikers. \n\nFor the club's members, biking is not just a passion. It's also a way of portraying the city in a different light - a semblance of normality despite Libya's recent violent history. \n\nThe club was established in 2014, right in the thick of Libya\u2019s second civil war and three years after the fall of Libya's longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi. \n\nEven at that time of rampant insecurity before Islamist militias were expelled, club members staged public shows and parades through the city. \n\nThe convoy of Harleys, Hondas and Kawasakis parade two by two through Benghazi's alleys and main roads. \n\nOnlookers often watch or film the gang, and honking car drivers contribute to the cacophony as they ride proudly past the war-battered buildings through the city. \n\n\"There are those who fight, and there are those who have a passion,\" says the club's proud president Ahmed al-Fitouri. \n\n\"We've had French and British crews film us, and we've shown them that not all Libyans make war, they're not all criminals,\" he adds. \n\nWhat happened in Benghazi? \n\nBenghazi is a Mediterranean port city in the north of Libya. \n\nIt is the country\u2019s second largest city and was the centre of the 2011 uprising which overthrew the Gaddafi regime. \n\nMuammar Gaddafi had been in power in Libya since a coup d'\u00e9tat in 1969 and was killed in 2011 during the first civil war. \n\nFrom 2011, there was civil unrest in the country, including a second civil war which broke out in 2014 until a permanent cease-fire was called in late 2020. \n\nBikes, not fights \n\nThe motorcycle club, which has a Harley-Davidson-inspired eagle as its emblem, boasts 120 members and they are all self-proclaimed enthusiasts. \n\nAs well as working to improve the image of their city, the club has changed the perception of bikers. \n\nBefore the revolution, bikers were marginalised members of Benghazi society and considered criminals by many. \n\n\"But that image has changed,\" says Fakhri Mustapha al-Hassi, the club's vice president. \"Now families and children come to have their picture taken with us.\" \n\nClub members also raise funds for charities, stage \"parades for peace\" and take part in official functions, such as a recent tribute to Omar al-Mokhtar, a hero of Libya's resistance to Italian occupation in the early 20th century. \n\nDuring Ramadan, the bikers distributed snacks and drinks to motorists running late for \"iftar\", the meal that breaks the daily dawn-to-dusk fast. \n\nWatch the video above to learn more about the Benghazi Motorcycle Club. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Benghazi Motorcycle Club aren\u2019t your average bikers.<\/p>\n<p>For the club's members, biking is not just a passion. It's also a way of portraying the city in a different light - a semblance of normality despite Libya's recent violent history.<\/p>\n<p>The club was established in 2014, right in the thick of Libya\u2019s second civil war and three years after the fall of Libya's longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi.<\/p>\n<p>Even at that time of rampant insecurity before Islamist militias were expelled, club members staged public shows and parades through the city.<\/p>\n<p>The convoy of Harleys, Hondas and Kawasakis parade two by two through Benghazi's alleys and main roads.<\/p>\n<p>Onlookers often watch or film the gang, and honking car drivers contribute to the cacophony as they ride proudly past the war-battered buildings through the city.<\/p>\n<p>\"There are those who fight, and there are those who have a passion,\" says the club's proud president Ahmed al-Fitouri.<\/p>\n<p>\"We've had French and British crews film us, and we've shown them that not all Libyans make war, they're not all criminals,\" he adds.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-widget-related\" data-stories-id=\"5729184,5723900\" data-event=\"widget_related\">\n <div class=\"c-widget-related__title\">\n <b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\" lang=\"en\">Related<\/b>\n <\/div>\n <ul class=\"c-widget-related__list\">\n <li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//travel//2021//06//03//meet-the-marine-biologist-working-to-save-kenya-s-coral-reefs/">Meet the marine biologist working to save Kenya\u2019s coral reefs<\/a><\/li><li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//travel//2021//06//14//beirut-explosion-2020-meet-the-locals-rebuilding-their-businesses-from-scratch/">Beirut explosion 2020: Meet the locals rebuilding their businesses from scratch<\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>What happened in Benghazi?<\/h2>\n<p>Benghazi is a Mediterranean port city in the north of Libya.<\/p>\n<p>It is the country\u2019s second largest city and was the centre of the 2011 uprising which overthrew the Gaddafi regime.<\/p>\n<p>Muammar Gaddafi had been in power in Libya since a coup d'\u00e9tat in 1969 and was killed in 2011 during the first civil war.<\/p>\n<p>From 2011, there was civil unrest in the country, including a second civil war which broke out in 2014 until a permanent cease-fire was called in late 2020.<\/p>\n<h2>Bikes, not fights<\/h2>\n<p>The motorcycle club, which has a Harley-Davidson-inspired eagle as its emblem, boasts 120 members and they are all self-proclaimed enthusiasts.<\/p>\n<p>As well as working to improve the image of their city, the club has changed the perception of bikers.<\/p>\n<p>Before the revolution, bikers were marginalised members of Benghazi society and considered criminals by many.<\/p>\n<p>\"But that image has changed,\" says Fakhri Mustapha al-Hassi, the club's vice president. \"Now families and children come to have their picture taken with us.\"<\/p>\n<p>Club members also raise funds for charities, stage \"parades for peace\" and take part in official functions, such as a recent tribute to Omar al-Mokhtar, a hero of Libya's resistance to Italian occupation in the early 20th century.<\/p>\n<p>During Ramadan, the bikers distributed snacks and drinks to motorists running late for \"iftar\", the meal that breaks the daily dawn-to-dusk fast.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Watch the video above to learn more about the Benghazi Motorcycle Club.<\/strong><\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1623765125,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1623769241,"firstPublishedAt":1623767095,"lastPublishedAt":1623769272,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/76\/54\/44\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_9ab5c013-93ef-575b-b4ba-02454688774f-5765444.jpg","altText":"The motorbikes gleam as they parade through Benghazi's streets","caption":"The motorbikes gleam as they parade through Benghazi's streets","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AFP","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"height":1080}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"id":2188,"urlSafeValue":"brown-h","title":"Hannah Brown","twitter":"@hannahdingbrown"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[{"id":2188,"urlSafeValue":"brown-h","title":"Hannah Brown","twitter":"@hannahdingbrown"}]},"keywords":[{"id":9813,"slug":"video","urlSafeValue":"video","title":"Video","titleRaw":"Video"},{"id":21130,"slug":"motorcycle","urlSafeValue":"motorcycle","title":"Motorcycle","titleRaw":"Motorcycle"},{"id":22368,"slug":"civil-war-in-libya","urlSafeValue":"civil-war-in-libya","title":"civil war in Libya","titleRaw":"civil war in 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News"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":{"id":4242,"urlSafeValue":"benghazi","title":"Benghazi"},"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'neg_facebook_2021','neg_nespresso','neg_facebook','neg_saudiaramco','neg_facebook_neg1','castrol_negative_uk','neg_mobkoi_castrol','neg_mobkoi_fb-weareonit_fs_28feb2019','gs_auto','gv_military','gs_auto_motorbikes','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','gt_negative_anger','gt_negative','gs_politics','gs_politics_misc','gt_positive_curiosity'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/travel\/2021\/06\/15\/meet-the-libyan-biker-gang-changing-perceptions-of-their-city","lastModified":1623769272},{"id":1503184,"cid":5641254,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"210510_NWWB_15917833","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"UN says 5 migrants drowned; over 700 intercepted off Libya","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Five Europe-bound migrants die on capsized boat off the coast of Libya","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Five migrants have died after their boat capsized off Libya","titleListing2":"Five Europe-bound migrants die on capsized boat off the coast of Libya","leadin":"Five migrants have drowned when a vessel, carrying at least 45 people and heading for Europe, capsized off Libya.","summary":"Five migrants have drowned when a vessel, carrying at least 45 people and heading for Europe, capsized off Libya.","keySentence":"","url":"five-europe-bound-migrants-die-on-capsized-boat-off-the-coast-of-libya","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2021\/05\/10\/five-europe-bound-migrants-die-on-capsized-boat-off-the-coast-of-libya","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"At least five people, including a woman and a child, drowned when a boat carrying at least 45 Europe-bound migrants capsized off Libya, a U.N. migration official said on Monday. \n\nThe wreck was the latest disaster in the Mediterranean Sea involving migrants seeking a better life in Europe. \n\nSafa Msehli, a spokeswoman for the International Organization for Migration, said the wreck took place on Sunday. \n\nShe said fishermen rescued 40 migrants and returned them to the shore. \n\nMsehli said the boat was among nine others carrying more than 700 migrants intercepted Sunday by the Libyan coast guard off the coast of the North African country. \n\nThe intercepted migrants were taken to overcrowded detention centres, where the U.N. migration agency fears more threats to their lives and violations of their rights, she said. \n\nThere has been a spike in crossings and attempted crossings from Libya in recent weeks, with smugglers taking advantage of the calm sea and warm weather. \n\nFederico Soda, head of IOM in Libya, said he was \"extremely concerned\" about the spike in migrant departure from Libya and \"the continuous loss of life.\" \n\n\"The situation cannot be ignored, and states must live up to their responsibilities and redeploy search and rescue vessels,\" he tweeted. \n\nTransit point \n\nLibya has in recent years emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. The oil-rich country plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. \n\nEarlier this month, at least 11 Europe-bound migrants drowned when a rubber dinghy carrying two dozen people capsized off Libya. That followed another tragedy in April where at least 130 migrants were presumed dead, in one of the deadliest maritime tragedies in years along the busy route. \n\nAround 7,000 Europe-bound migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya so far this year, according to the IOM's tally. \n\nSmugglers often pack desperate families into ill-equipped rubber boats that stall and founder along the perilous Central Mediterranean route. Over the last several years, hundreds of thousands of migrants have reached Europe either on their own or after being rescued at sea. \n\nThousands have drowned along the way. Others were intercepted and returned to Libya to be left at the mercy of armed groups or confined in squalid detention centers that lack adequate food and water, according to rights groups. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>At least five people, including a woman and a child, drowned when a boat carrying at least 45 Europe-bound migrants capsized off Libya, a U.N. migration official said on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>The wreck was the latest disaster in the Mediterranean Sea involving migrants seeking a better life in Europe.<\/p>\n<p>Safa Msehli, a spokeswoman for the International Organization for Migration, said the wreck took place on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>She said fishermen rescued 40 migrants and returned them to the shore.<\/p>\n<p>Msehli said the boat was among nine others carrying more than 700 migrants intercepted Sunday by the Libyan coast guard off the coast of the North African country.<\/p>\n<p>The intercepted migrants were taken to overcrowded detention centres, where the U.N. migration agency fears more threats to their lives and violations of their rights, she said.<\/p>\n<p>There has been a spike in crossings and attempted crossings from Libya in recent weeks, with smugglers taking advantage of the calm sea and warm weather.<\/p>\n<p>Federico Soda, head of IOM in Libya, said he was \"extremely concerned\" about the spike in migrant departure from Libya and \"the continuous loss of life.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"The situation cannot be ignored, and states must live up to their responsibilities and redeploy search and rescue vessels,\" he tweeted.<\/p>\n<h2>Transit point<\/h2>\n<p>Libya has in recent years emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. The oil-rich country plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month, at least 11 Europe-bound migrants drowned when a rubber dinghy carrying two dozen people capsized off Libya. That followed another tragedy in April where at least 130 migrants were presumed dead, in one of the deadliest maritime tragedies in years along the busy route.<\/p>\n<p>Around 7,000 Europe-bound migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya so far this year, according to the IOM's tally.<\/p>\n<p>Smugglers often pack desperate families into ill-equipped rubber boats that stall and founder along the perilous Central Mediterranean route. Over the last several years, hundreds of thousands of migrants have reached Europe either on their own or after being rescued at sea.<\/p>\n<p>Thousands have drowned along the way. Others were intercepted and returned to Libya to be left at the mercy of armed groups or confined in squalid detention centers that lack adequate food and water, according to rights groups.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1620644243,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1620650065,"firstPublishedAt":1620650071,"lastPublishedAt":1620650071,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Mohamed Ben Khalifa\/LIBYA","altText":"Migrants being detained at Abosetta base in Tripoli, Libya (May 2017)","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"Migrants being detained at Abosetta base in Tripoli, Libya (May 2017)","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/64\/12\/54\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_7308afb2-79df-57cb-8c5c-ad97c70860ad-5641254.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":683}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"libya","titleRaw":"Libya","id":172,"title":"Libya","slug":"libya"},{"urlSafeValue":"migrants","titleRaw":"Migrants","id":13190,"title":"Migrants","slug":"migrants"},{"urlSafeValue":"refugees","titleRaw":"Refugees","id":8151,"title":"Refugees","slug":"refugees"},{"urlSafeValue":"mediterranean-sea","titleRaw":"Mediterranean Sea","id":13414,"title":"Mediterranean Sea","slug":"mediterranean-sea"}],"widgets":[],"related":[{"id":1515978},{"id":1596086},{"id":1689104}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"hasExternalVideo":0,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":0,"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"endDate":0,"startDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Associated Press","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"urlSafeValue":"news","id":1,"title":"News","slug":"news"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"urlSafeValue":"news","id":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'neg_mobkoi_castrol','gv_death_injury','castrol_negative_uk','neg_facebook_2021','gt_negative','neg_facebook','neg_bucherer','neg_facebook_neg1','gt_negative_fear','neg_facebook_q4','neg_saudiaramco','neg_citi_campaign','gv_military','neg_umw_fs_12oct202','gs_society_misc','gs_society'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet-web","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2021\/05\/10\/five-europe-bound-migrants-die-on-capsized-boat-off-the-coast-of-libya","lastModified":1620650071},{"id":1492700,"cid":5614632,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"210502_WBSU_15824626","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"WEB: Italian rapper ","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"At least 11 dead after migrant boat capsises of Libya coast","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"At least 11 dead after migrant boat capsises of Libya coast","titleListing2":"At least 11 dead after migrant boat capsises of Libya coast","leadin":"\u201cThe continuous loss of life calls for an urgent change in approach to the situation in Libya and the Central Med.,\u201d the IOM said in a Twitter post.","summary":"\u201cThe continuous loss of life calls for an urgent change in approach to the situation in Libya and the Central Med.,\u201d the IOM said in a Twitter post.","keySentence":"","url":"at-least-11-dead-after-migrant-boat-capsises-of-libya-coast","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2021\/05\/02\/at-least-11-dead-after-migrant-boat-capsises-of-libya-coast","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"At least 11 people drowned Sunday when a rubber dinghy carrying two dozen Europe-bound migrants capsised off Libya, the U.N. migration agency said.\u00a0 \n\nIt was the latest shipwreck involving migrants seeking a better life in Europe. \n\nThe International Organization for Migration said the tragedy took place near the western town of Zawiya. The Libyan coast guard saved the lives of 12 migrants, it said. Those migrants were expected to be taken to a detention center. \n\nSunday\u2019s deadly shipwreck was the latest along the Central Mediterranean migration route. Last month, at least 130 migrants were presumed dead after their boat capsized off Libya, in one of the deadliest maritime tragedies in years along the busy route. \n\n\u201cThe continuous loss of life calls for an urgent change in approach to the situation in Libya and the Central Med.,\u201d the IOM said in a Twitter post. \n\nLibya has in recent years emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. The oil-rich country plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. \n\nThere has been a spike in crossings and attempted crossings from Libya in recent weeks. Around 7,000 Europe-bound migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya so far this year, according to the IOM's tally. \n\nSmugglers often pack desperate families into ill-equipped rubber boats that stall and founder along the perilous Central Mediterranean route. Over the last several years, hundreds of thousands of migrants have reached Europe either on their own or after being rescued at sea. \n\nThousands have drowned along the way. Others were intercepted and returned to Libya to be left at the mercy of armed groups or confined in squalid detention centers that lack adequate food and water, according to rights groups. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>At least 11 people drowned Sunday when a rubber dinghy carrying two dozen Europe-bound migrants capsised off Libya, the U.N. migration agency said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It was the latest shipwreck involving migrants seeking a better life in Europe.<\/p>\n<p>The International Organization for Migration said the tragedy took place near the western town of Zawiya. The Libyan coast guard saved the lives of 12 migrants, it said. Those migrants were expected to be taken to a detention center.<\/p>\n<p>Sunday\u2019s deadly shipwreck was the latest along the Central Mediterranean migration route. Last month, at least 130 migrants were presumed dead after their boat capsized off Libya, in one of the deadliest maritime tragedies in years along the busy route.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe continuous loss of life calls for an urgent change in approach to the situation in Libya and the Central Med.,\u201d the IOM said in a Twitter post.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-widget-related\" data-stories-id=\"5613398,5548252,5557908\" data-event=\"widget_related\">\n <div class=\"c-widget-related__title\">\n <b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\" lang=\"en\">Related<\/b>\n <\/div>\n <ul class=\"c-widget-related__list\">\n <li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2021//05//01//hundreds-of-migrants-headed-for-italy-after-being-rescued-at-sea/">Hundreds of migrants headed for Italy after being rescued at sea<\/a><\/li><li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//my-europe//2021//04//30//are-the-canary-islands-becoming-a-migrant-limbo/">Are the Canary Islands becoming a migrant limbo?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"c-widget-related__item\"><a class=\"c-widget-related__article\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//culture//2021//04//29//the-cost-of-success-what-happens-to-west-african-migrants-in-europe/">Podcast | The cost of success: What happens to West African migrants in Europe<\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Libya has in recent years emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. The oil-rich country plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.<\/p>\n<p>There has been a spike in crossings and attempted crossings from Libya in recent weeks. Around 7,000 Europe-bound migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya so far this year, according to the IOM's tally.<\/p>\n<p>Smugglers often pack desperate families into ill-equipped rubber boats that stall and founder along the perilous Central Mediterranean route. Over the last several years, hundreds of thousands of migrants have reached Europe either on their own or after being rescued at sea.<\/p>\n<p>Thousands have drowned along the way. Others were intercepted and returned to Libya to be left at the mercy of armed groups or confined in squalid detention centers that lack adequate food and water, according to rights groups.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1619982630,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1619985786,"firstPublishedAt":1619985792,"lastPublishedAt":1619985792,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/05\/61\/46\/32\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_d5ec6baf-cb5e-5162-83ad-a5c62447b9d6-5614632.jpg","altText":" In this Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 file photo, refugees and migrants are rescued by members of the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms, after leaving Libya trying to reach Europe.","caption":" In this Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 file photo, refugees and migrants are rescued by members of the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms, after leaving Libya trying to reach Europe.","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Sergi Camara\/Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1640,"height":1093}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"},{"id":13450,"slug":"migration","urlSafeValue":"migration","title":"migration","titleRaw":"migration"},{"id":16799,"slug":"african-migrants","urlSafeValue":"african-migrants","title":"African migrants","titleRaw":"African migrants"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"related","count":1}],"related":[{"id":1431984},{"id":1430572}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"hasExternalVideo":0,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":0,"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"AP","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'neg_mobkoi_castrol','gv_death_injury','castrol_negative_uk','gt_negative','neg_citi_campaign','neg_facebook_2021','neg_facebook','neg_facebook_q4','gv_military','gs_society_misc','gs_society','african_related_content_uk','neg_umw_fs_12oct202','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','gt_negative_sadness'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2021\/05\/02\/at-least-11-dead-after-migrant-boat-capsises-of-libya-coast","lastModified":1619985792}]">

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