(AFP) Italy has renewed a controversial agreement signed in 2017 with [the] Libyan coastguard to block illegal migrants trying to leave from the North African country’s coast, the government has said.
Libya, wracked by conflict since the 2011 uprising that killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi, is a major transit route for migrants, especially from sub-Saharan Africa, and often to Italy across the Mediterranean.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio told parliament on Wednesday that the deal with Libya would be automatically extended for another three years from November.
“A reduction of Italian assistance could mean a suspension of Libyan coast guard activities with consequences: more departures, tragedies at sea and a deterioration of conditions for migrants in holding centres,” he said.
