A coalition of leading human rights groups is calling on the European Commission to cut ties with Libya after its coast guard attacked a migrant rescue ship in the Mediterranean. The incident, they argue, highlights nearly a decade of failed EU migration policy that has “enabled and legitimised abuses.”
The appeal comes after the Ocean Viking, a humanitarian rescue vessel operated by the French NGO SOS Méditerranée, was fired upon by a Libyan patrol boat on August 24. The patrol boat was financed with EU funds through Italy’s SIBMMIL program. At the time, more than 30 crew members and 87 rescued migrants were on board. According to the NGO, hundreds of shots were fired without warning in international waters.
In a letter seen by POLITICO and addressed to EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner and Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka Šuica — with copies sent to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other EU leaders — NGOs condemned the attack. The signatories include Amnesty International, Médecins Sans Frontières, ActionAid, Emergency, Mediterranea Saving Humans, Refugees in Libya, and SOS Méditerranée.
The groups criticized the Commission for continuing cooperation with Libya despite “overwhelming evidence” of human rights violations. They warned that EU funding has not improved conditions but instead “legitimised abuses.” The NGOs demanded that Brussels suspend all cooperation with Libya, push Italy to end its 2017 migration deal with Tripoli, and urge other member states not to pursue similar agreements.
“Human lives must not be disregarded in the name of border control,” the letter stated, accusing the EU of refusing to share its safety checks on projects that receive EU funding.
The incident has added pressure to the EU as it tries to manage migration flows while also navigating Libya’s unstable political situation. The country remains divided between rival governments in Tripoli and Benghazi, with Russia and Turkey playing key roles in the conflict. Moscow has delivered arms and is planning a naval base in Tobruk, while Ankara has signed maritime deals disputed by Greece.
French MEP Mounir Satouri, who chairs the European Parliament’s Committee on Human Rights, called the EU’s partnership with Libya “a slap in the face to European values.” He added, “Europe cannot continue to fuel human rights violations based solely on its obsession with migration.”