A meeting was held at the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tripoli to discuss ways to support border security and management, improve search and rescue operations, and combat smuggling networks and human trafficking. The meeting took place under the chairship of the Director of the European Affairs Department at the Libyan MFA, Muhammad al-Maqhour, with the participation of officials from the Libyan Coast Guard Command, Ministry of Interior and Transport, and Jannes Anderson, Deputy Head of the EU Border Administration Support Mission.
During the meetings, some suggestions were discussed in terms of supporting Libya’s land and sea border security. In addition to this, the issue of providing technical and logistics support to the relevant institutions in Libya was highlighted. It was also stated at the meeting that the rehabilitation project of the Libyan Naval Academy should be accelerated and a strong communication network should be integrated for border controls.
It is expected that the talks, in which EU Commission members participated via video conference, will continue in the coming days.
The conflict environment created by the 10-year civil war in Libya has made border controls particularly weak in the south of the country. Increasing security measures is also among the main priorities of the Government of National Unity (GNU) and the Presidential Council, which took office in March 2021.
