In a statement, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) revealed that its ship arrived to rescue two boats in international waters on March 16th, one a small fiberglass boat carrying 28 people and the other a two-story wooden vessel with 143 people aboard, both appearing to be in distress.

As MSF approached the larger vessel, the Libyan Coast Guard approached and executed a dangerous maneuver, putting the lives of those on board at greater risk.

According to The Guardian, the majority of the migrants were Syrian refugees.

In a video captured by a support aircraft operated by the non-governmental sea rescue organization Sea-Watch, a patrol boat moved towards a location between two boats operated by MSF, one of which had already begun loading people on board.

It became impossible for the second boat to move towards the one facing danger.

Dangerous Maneuvers

An official from MSF stated that the Libyan patrol boat began to execute a dangerous maneuver, intercepting inflatable boats with solid structures.

In the footage, a man can be heard saying, “They are trying to intimidate the second solid boat,” and a woman’s voice on the aircraft says, “What they are doing is very dangerous.”

In a related context, Juan Matias Gil, head of search and rescue operations at MSF in Rome, stated that the Libyan Coast Guard attempted to push one of the boats away.

“We would never allow that. We (the crew of the Geo Barents ship) operate under the Norwegian flag, so the boat is considered Norwegian territory present in international waters. We do not know where this would end if they succeeded in boarding our boat,” Gil added.

Gil explained that interference in their mission continued “for about two hours” despite communications in both English and Arabic with the Libyan Coast Guard, who, according to international law, are obligated to assist anyone in distress.

MSF stated, “They did not leave until after negotiations and intense communications with the Norwegian, Italian, and Libyan authorities, but not before further threats were directed at us.”

Gil noted that the people aboard the two boats “were mostly Syrians,” including several children under the age of 13 and unaccompanied minors.

Increasing Migration

According to the latest data from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), 4315 individuals made the journey from Africa to EU countries across the Mediterranean Sea between January and February.

The agency expects these numbers to increase in the coming weeks.

The European Union, which provides financial support to the Libyan Coast Guard for training and providing boats, stated that all authorities act in accordance with international law.

A spokesperson for the European Commission stated, “We cannot control individual actions. When it comes to search and rescue, it is clear that search and rescue is an international obligation for all persons and maritime international law is very clear. All actions that endanger people’s lives must be avoided at all times.”