The European Union will limit the number of inflatable boats and motors it sends to Libya as a way of curbing human trafficking.
It however clarified that the restrictions will not prevent exports or sales in cases where they are “meant for legitimate uses by the civilian population, for instance for fishermen, who may need motors for their boats.”
“These are devices that are used by traffickers for their smuggling activities. So this decision we have taken on the European Union level will help (in) making their businesses and their lives a bit more complicated,” Federica Mogherini, the EU’s chief foreign policy official, said at a news conference Monday.
More than 100,000 migrants have already arrived in Europe this year so far, with Italy being their preferred first port of call.
Quite a number of the migrants however never make it to Europe. More than 2,300 have been reported dead or missing in the Mediterranean in 2017, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Most of those fleeing Libya do so to escape the civil unrest that has rocked the North African country following the death ousted leader Moammar Gadhafi.
On the whole, the migrants come from across Africa and the Middle East, some fleeing violence and persecution and others looking for economic refuge.
The EU however promises to work with Libya to help it out of its crisis.
