50 NIGERIAN MIGRANTS RESCUE ON MEDITERRANEAN SEA ON WAY TO ITALY

The coastguard spokesman, Ayoub Qassem disclosed that, the second boat was turned back off Garabulli, east of Tripoli, and had 112 people on board, adding that the migrants and their  smugglers were trying to take advantage of calm seas as they launched a flurry of boats towards Italy.

The  coastguard in Zuwara, a former Libyan smuggling hub west of Zawiya, said they had foiled a departure during the night and arrested some migrants whilst others had escaped with smugglers.

Penpushing findings, however, showed that, Libya is the main departure point for migrants attempting to reach Europe by sea. It has also being established that, more than 600,000 migrants have crossed the central Mediterranean to Italy over the past four years as people smugglers took advantage of a security vacuum in Libya.

However, since last summer the rate of departures dropped significantly after smugglers in the Libyan town of Sabratha struck a deal with the Tripoli government to halt their activities and were then pushed out of the town by rival armed groups.

Meanwhile, Libya’s EU-backed coastguard has also stepped up interceptions, often cutting migrant boats off before they can reach international vessels that would bring them to Europe.