The so-called Africa Fund will provide funds, training for security forces and border-monitoring equipment to countries along the migration route.
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But humanitarian groups reject efforts to stop migrants in Libya, where they are suffering consistent and widespread abuse, including arbitrary detention, forced labour, rape and torture, a United Nations report said in December.
The EU is to increase aid to train the Libyan coastguard and build better camps in Africa, EU sources say.
The Guardian reports that Sarraj’s government released that statement after North Atlantic Treaty Organisation said, on Wednesday, that they aim to bolster European Union plans to move operation Sophia into Libyan waters to help prevent the migrants from reaching Europe.
The migrants were rescued from six rubber boats and six wooden vessels on Wednesday (February 1), the coast guard said in a statement.
The deal, reminiscent of earlier accords to stop migration between Italy and then Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, comes amid European Union efforts to stem the flow of migrants on the central Mediterranean route, which has become the main point of entry to Europe, since countries closed the Western Balkan route for migrants a year ago.
“Naturally, we’re hoping for results”, Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni told reporters on Friday. He proposed that the camps function under the auspice of UNHCR and IOM and let into Europe only those who really need protection.
However, Professor Glees does predict some difficulties with the deal.
“The EU is yet again outsourcing its responsibility to protect the rights of migrants and refugees with no guarantees about what will happen” to them if they are stuck in Libya, said Ester Asin of the Save the Children charity.
A still image taken from video shot last week by the Italian Coast Guard, shows migrants being rescued from members of Italian Coast Guard in the central Mediterranean.
Migrant traffickers have funneled hundreds of thousands of economic and war refugees into southern Libya to await passage toward Italy’s shores.
The EU has a military presence in the Mediterranean Sea in the global waters off the coast of Libya but EU leaders have proposed increasing that support to find and shut down existing human smuggling routes.
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More than 5,000 are believed to have died attempting the crossing in 2016. It is normal that EU countries speak bilaterally with the U.S. but many of our EU partners, including us, see our future in the European Union, rather than outside.
