Germany will no longer train Libya's coastguard over migrants abuses
March 31, 2022, 10:46 am

Germany will no longer train Libya's coastguard over migrants abuses

Germany-Berlin-Parliament/Pixabay

The Euronews reported, citing media outlets, Germany says that its military will no longer train Libya's coastguard over concerns about the treatment of migrants.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Andrea Sasse said Libyan officials had demonstrated "repeated unacceptable behaviour" towards refugees and NGOs.

Individual units of the Libyan coastguard have long been accused of mistreating migrants, who are caught trying to reach Europe by boat.

Sasse said on Wednesday: "[In view of this] the German government cannot currently justify the training of the Libyan coast guard by German soldiers."

Sasse said, referring to two incidents in July 2021: “The coast guard has acted in a completely unacceptable and illegal manner."

Germany will no longer train Libya's coastguard over concerns about the treatment of migrants (File photo: Pixabay)

The announcement came as the German government agreed to extend its participation in the European Union naval mission, known as Operation Irini, which monitors an arms embargo against Libya.

A recent report by the head of Operation Irini had acknowledged “excessive use of force” by Libyan authorities but called for European training programmes to continue.

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The training of Libyan forces began seven years ago under Operation Sophia, as large numbers of migrants tried to reach the EU via Libya. The mission was then replaced in 2020 when the focus shifted to arms control.

Operation Irini itself has been criticised for not doing enough to save migrants at sea despite EU vessels conducting extensive monitoring in the area.

Several NGOs are also involved in the rescue of migrants, including the Germany-based group Sea-Eye which took in 32 migrants this week off the coast of Libya.

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German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said that under the extended naval mandate -- which needs to be approved by parliament -- Berlin will continue to monitor the arms embargo and prevent the illegal export of oil from Libya.

He said, “[this] should help to fight the business model of people-trafficking networks."

Source: euronews

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.