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WORLD NEWS Saturday 27 July 2019

Libya's coast guard recovers dozens of bodies of migrants

By SAMY MAGDY equate food and water.
Associated Press The EU released a state-
CAIRO (AP) — Libya's coast ment Friday saying it was
guard recovered dozens of deeply saddened by the
bodies of Europe-bound mi- tragedy off Libya's coast
grants who perished at sea and added that "sustain-
as search operations con- able solutions for search
tinued Friday, a day after and rescue are urgently
up to 150 people, including needed in the Mediterra-
women and children, went nean."
missing and were feared However, it also said "Lib-
drowned when their boats ya's current system of man-
capsized in the Mediterra- aging irregular migration
nean Sea. and arbitrarily detaining
A top U.N. official described refugees and migrants has
Thursday's shipwreck as to end."
"the worst Mediterranean U.N. Secretary-General
tragedy" so far this year. Antonio Guterres reiter-
The Anti-Illegal Immigration ated that "Libya is not a
Agency in the Libyan capi- safe country of asylum"
tal said that up to 350 mi- and stressed that "refu-
grants were on board the Libyan Red Crescent workers pick up a body of a drowned migrant near the city of Khoms, some gees must be treated with
boats that capsized off the 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Tripoli, Libya, Friday, July 26, 2019. dignity and respect, and
town of Khoms, around 120 Associated Press in accordance with inter-
kilometers (75 miles) east of Ahmed al-Tayeb, a 32-year- July 3 that killed more than nine women and two chil- national law," U.N. deputy
Tripoli. old from Sudan, said he 50 people and raised new dren. The 269 were taken spokesman Farhan Haq
The migrants included na- was on one of three boats concerns over the treat- to refugee camps in Tripoli, said Friday.
tionals from Eritrea, Egypt, that capsized an hour af- ment of migrants in Libya. Gassim said. Amnesty Inter- After the NATO-backed
Sudan and Libya, the agen- ter setting off from Libya on The U.N. refugee agency national called Friday on uprising that toppled and
cy said. Libyan officials said Wednesday night. has demanded the center EU leaders to "show some killed longtime ruler Moam-
more than 130 have been Egyptian Mustafa Mah- be closed, but that hasn't courage" and reverse their mar Gadhafi in 2011, Libya
rescued since Thursday. moud, 26, said Libyan fish- happened. decision to halt migrant res- became a major conduit
One of the survivors, from ermen were first to come "This is putting intentionally cues in the Mediterranean. for African migrants and
Eritrea, said his vessel start- to their rescue. "I saw lots the life of these people at The rights group appealed refugees seeking a better
ed to capsize after an of bodies, dozens, in the risk," Vincent Cochetel, on European nations to life in Europe. Traffickers
hour of sailing. Most of the water," he said. "Most of UNHCR's special envoy for change their approach and armed groups have
migrants on board were them were children and the Central Mediterranean and not "condemn those exploited Libya's chaos
women, he said, and most women who were not able tweeted Friday. who survive to detention in since Gadhafi's overthrow,
of them drowned. to swim." The U.N. migration agency Libya." and have been implicated
"All of them (who drowned) At least a dozen of the sur- said later Friday that once "People are still risking their in widespread abuses of
were ladies ... only two girls vivors were taken to a hos- they arrived, the 84 mi- lives to come to Europe," migrants, including torture
rescued themselves," he pital in Khoms while the rest grants were turned back said Amnesty's Massimo and abduction for ransom.
said, speaking on condition were transferred to different from the detention center Moratti. Thursday's shipwreck was
of anonymity for fears for detention centers, includ- and were instead being The European Union has "the worst Mediterranean
his safety. ing Tajoura, located near "released gradually" into over the past years part- tragedy" so far this year,
Two other survivors, the front lines of the fight- the town of Tajoura. nered with Libya to prevent said U.N. High Commis-
reached at a disembark- ing between rival Libyan Separately from the ship- migrants from making the sioner for Refugees Filippo
ing facility in Tripoli, told The factions, the Libyan officials wreck, Ayoub Gassim, dangerous journey by sea Grandi.
Associated Press over the said, speaking on condition a spokesman for Libya's to Europe. Rights groups In January, some 117 died
phone they had each paid of anonymity because they coast guard, said it had say those efforts have left or went missing off Libya's
between $200 and $400 to were not authorized to talk intercepted three rubber migrants at the mercy of coast and around 65 peo-
smugglers who promised to the media. boats off Tripoli on Thurs- brutal armed groups or ple drowned after their
they would reach Italy's The Tajoura detention cen- day, carrying 269 Europe- confined in squalid deten- boat sank off the coast of
shores by sunset Thursday. ter was hit by an airstrike on bound migrants, including tion centers that lack ad- Tunisia in May.q