Over 200 migrants intercepted in Sirte, Tobruk

Humanitarian organisation Sea-Watch International has alleged that more than 230 migrants were intercepted and forcibly returned to Libya over a 48-hour period during the weekend, describing the incidents as evidence of the European Union’s migration management strategy.

In a post published on X, the organisation said at least seven boats carrying migrants were intercepted by Libyan forces. According to Sea-Watch, four of the boats were intercepted off Sirte, while three others were stopped near Tobruk.

The group said those returned were taken back to detention facilities in Libya, where they face violence, abuse and extortion.

“More than 230 people. At least seven boats. Forty-eight hours. That’s how many were dragged back to Libya this weekend alone,” Sea-Watch wrote, adding that the returns reflect what it called “EU-funded migration management.”

The organisation further alleged that the European Union is expanding its cooperation with Libyan authorities by increasing support for forces operating in eastern Libya, including groups it described as warlords, beyond its traditional partners in the country’s west.

Sea-Watch claimed the expanded cooperation would lead to more interceptions at sea and more migrants being returned to what it described as a system of abuse that Europe continues to support.

The organisation also expressed concern over the rising number of deaths along the eastern Mediterranean migration route between Libya and the Greek island of Crete.

According to Sea-Watch, documented deaths on the route have increased by 167 per cent compared with the same period last year, with at least 165 deaths recorded in the first six months of the year. It warned that the actual death toll is likely to be significantly higher because many incidents go unrecorded.

Sea-Watch attributed the increase in fatalities to the absence of state-led search and rescue operations in the eastern Mediterranean, accusing European authorities of leaving another migration route without adequate rescue capacity.

The European Union has consistently maintained that its cooperation with Libyan authorities is aimed at combating human trafficking, preventing irregular migration and strengthening border management while supporting humanitarian assistance for migrants. However, rights groups have repeatedly criticised the policy, arguing that migrants intercepted at sea are returned to conditions that expose them to arbitrary detention, abuse and exploitation in Libya.