La Repubblica photojournalist Alessia Candito took some video footage and photographs during her assignment with Mediterranea Saving Humans in August, which apparently show militias closely associated with the Libyan government actively taking migrants from detention centers out to the sea and throwing them overboard.

This series of events was later also orally corroborated by the same migrants who were rescued by the NGO.

The images, dated August 18 and 21, show various men on Libyan patrol boats wearing uniforms and insignia that identify them as members of the 80th Special Operations Battalion of the 111th Brigade, reports La Repubblica. In the images, the men appear to be taking part in these activities in breach of international and maritime law at least on one of these two occasions.

In a post on X, the charity adds that before the migrants were kicked into the waters of the Mediterranean, officials on board the military vessel had made verbal threats against the rescue team.

The migrants were later rescued by the NGO and meanwhile alleged that four other migrants had refused to be rounded up by the militiamen in fear of this being a trap, resulting in them being summarily executed, according to the NGO.

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Criticism of Italy-Libya relationship

UN agencies and human rights associations have for years denounced anecdotal reports of such practices migrant dumping — also known as "jettisoning" — in front of charity vessels, which is typically done for the purpose of getting rid of migrants and passing over responsibility for these people to NGOs operating at sea.

Libya's deputy defense minister, Abdul Salam Al-Zoubi, who is allegedly the head of the 111th brigade, is yet to respond to the allegations. 

Al-Zoubi appears to enjoy the support of Italy's highest political echelons: Mediterranea Saving Humans stressed in a statement that "(o)n September 4, just a few days after the incident in which soldiers under his command threatened crew members working for Mediterranea and are alleged to be involved in violent human trafficking, he was received with full honors by Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi." 

A post by the Italian Interior Ministry from that same day further underscores the close relationship between top leaders of the two governments, highlighting the fact that Libya remains "a strategic partner in the Mediterranean, and constant dialog between our countries is essential to address common security challenges."

"Our cooperation on managing migration and security challenges continues, as demonstrated by the regular technical meetings of the Italian-Libyan task force and our long-standing collaboration on EU-funded border management support projects, implemented by the Italian Ministry of the Interior," the post further explained.

Neither the Italian Interior Ministry nor Libya's Defense Ministry have yet issued any statement on these allegations.

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Calls for legal action

In a statement, Mediterranea Saving Humans said that the "video and photographic evidence … cannot be covered up: the Libyan traffickers who violently threw ten young refugees into the open sea, right in front of our rescue vessel, after keeping them in detention camps, are part of Tripoli's official military apparatus."

"We have always known this, but now we have filmed them, photographed them, traced their identities. We know who they are."

After being shared in the Italian media and also the UK's left-leaning daily newspaper the Guardian, the images were reportedly handed over to prosecutors in Sicily as well as to the International Criminal Court, reported La Repubblica.

Mediterranea Saving Humans said, in the light of these images, at the very least, trafficking charges should be brought against Libyan authorities, since the migrants taken out to the sea and dumped in Mediterranean waters were coerced.

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EU involvement also a thorn in the side of NGOs

The issue might be further complicated by the fact that not only the Italian government but also the EU itself have agreements with Libya's official government in Tripoli to help stop migrants from reaching European shores.

Another Italian NGO, Refugees in Libya, reacted to the latest developments by calling for demonstrations against Italy's and the EU's collaboration with Libyan authorities.

It said it was enjoying support from 60 other groups in its plea to end EU deals with the North African nation.

In a statement in Italian, Mediterranea Saving Humans meanwhile highlighted that the Libyan militias involved in various activities funded by the EU both on land and at sea are "in fact directly involved in the capture of migrants destined for indefinite detention in prison camps located on the Libyan mainland, where they are notoriously subjected to all kinds of abuse and violence, torture and ill-treatment, forced labor, and ransom demands, as extensively documented by various authoritative sources, including the official reports of the United Nations Missions in Libya."

"What is disturbing about this incident is that it was precisely the military personnel of a unit institutionally part of the structure of the Government of National Unity in Tripoli who threw people into the sea, exposing them to the risk of drowning and effectively forcing us — having no other viable alternatives, as is clear — to rescue them urgently and leave the area to take them to a safe place of disembarkation in Europe," the statement continues.

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Libya: Africa's main migration hub

Libya has long been the main transit country in North Africa for migrants and refugees fleeing war, hunger and destitution across Africa, the Middle East and beyond.

The IOM says that as of February this year, more than 867,000 people from 44 different countries are known to be in Libya — though the actual number is thought to be higher.

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Migrants in Libya risk life and limb while trying to reach European shores after departing from Libya on unseaworthy boats and dinghies, usually organized by people smugglers who charge thousands of euros for the dangerous transit, which in many instances can end in fatalities.

In recent days, two boats carrying Sudanese war refugees sank off the coast near the eastern Libyan city of Tobruk, with at least 110 people believed to have died in the tragic incidents.

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