عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Libyan Coast Guard Rescues 59 Illegal Migrants

The Libyan Coast Guard on Monday rescued 59 illegal migrants of different African nationalities (Anadolu Agency)
The Libyan Coast Guard on Monday rescued 59 illegal migrants of different African nationalities (Anadolu Agency)
TT
TT

Libyan Coast Guard Rescues 59 Illegal Migrants

The Libyan Coast Guard on Monday rescued 59 illegal migrants of different African nationalities (Anadolu Agency)
The Libyan Coast Guard on Monday rescued 59 illegal migrants of different African nationalities (Anadolu Agency)

The Libyan Coast Guard on Monday rescued 59 illegal migrants of different African nationalities as they attempted to cross to European shores.

A spokesman for the Libyan Navy said the Navy boat Obari launched the rescue operation.

Over the past decade, Libya has become a main transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty

The European Union has partnered with Libya to prevent migrants from making the journey by sea to Europe.

Last month, more than 600 migrants who tried to reach Europe by boat were returned to Libya by Libyan naval forces, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on May 10 that some 600 illegal migrants have been rescued off Libya's western coast.

According to the IOM, a total of 11,891 illegal immigrants were rescued and returned to Libya in 2021, noting that 381 migrants died and 597 went missing on the Central Mediterranean route during the same period.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Syria’s Al-Sharaa Says No to Arms Outside State Control

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
TT
TT

Syria’s Al-Sharaa Says No to Arms Outside State Control

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said his administration would announce the new structure of the defense ministry and military within days.

In a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday, al-Sharaa said that his administration would not allow for arms outside the control of the state.

An official source told Reuters on Saturday that Murhaf Abu Qasra, a leading figure in the insurgency that toppled Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago, had been named as defense minister in the interim government.
Sharaa did not mention the appointment of a new defense minister on Sunday.
Sharaa discussed the form military institutions would take during a meeting with armed factions on Saturday, state news agency SANA said.
Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said last week that the defense ministry would be restructured using former opposition factions and officers who defected from Assad's army.

Earlier Sunday, Lebanon’s Druze leader Walid Jumblatt held talks with al-Sharaa in Damascus.

Jumblatt expressed hope that Lebanese-Syrian relations “will return to normal.”

“Syria was a source of concern and disturbance, and its interference in Lebanese affairs was negative,” al-Sharaa said, referring to the Assad government. “Syria will no longer be a case of negative interference in Lebanon," he added.