The Mediterranean Sea, long a perilous crossing for migrants seeking safety and opportunity in Europe, has again become the site of tragedy and controversy. Over the last week, a series of violent and chaotic encounters between Libyan coast guard vessels and migrant rescue ships have left one person dead and renewed scrutiny on European Union migration policies and their consequences.
On Sunday, September 28, 2025, a dinghy carrying about 30 people was intercepted by a patrol boat from the Libyan coast guard off the coast of Libya, according to the German non-governmental organization Sea-Watch. The NGO, which witnessed and filmed the incident from its Seabird aircraft, reported that as the dinghy attempted to flee the coast guard vessel, high waves caused four people to fall into the Mediterranean. Tragically, one migrant drowned, while three others were rescued from the water. The survivors were initially picked up by a nearby merchant vessel before being transferred to Libyan coast guard patrol boats and returned to Libya.
“One person drowned under the eyes of our air crew … the person was basically abandoned at sea and all the other survivors were at first rescued by a merchant vessel which was in the surroundings,” Sea-Watch spokesperson Giorgia Linardi told The Associated Press. She added that such incidents are not rare in the Libyan search-and-rescue area, but this was one of the few times the tragedy was captured on video.
The Libyan coast guard and the Tripoli-based government did not respond to requests for comment about the incident, leaving many questions unanswered about the precise circumstances and the fate of the migrants returned to Libya. However, Sea-Watch and other humanitarian organizations have long documented the dangers migrants face at sea and the perilous conditions they endure if returned to Libya.
This latest fatality is not an isolated incident. Just days earlier, on the night of September 25 to September 26, the Sea-Watch 5 rescue vessel was itself targeted by a Libyan patrol boat while rescuing 66 people at sea. According to Sea-Watch, the Libyan vessel—described as a militia under Libyan authority—fired live ammunition at the rescue ship. The crew and those rescued were unharmed by the gunfire, but in the aftermath, it was discovered that one person had drowned as a result of the chaos caused by the Libyan intervention.
Sea-Watch described the sequence of events in a statement: “The so-called Libyan coast guard fired live ammunition,” the NGO said, explaining that the assault came after the Libyan Ubari 660 Corrubia Class patrol boat ordered the Sea-Watch 5 via radio to change course in the middle of the rescue operation. Abandoning their position, Sea-Watch argued, would have meant halting the rescue and endangering lives. “The militia then approached the ship and eventually fired live ammunition at it. The crew and those rescued were unharmed,” the organization said. Following the attack, the Sea-Watch 5 crew sent out a Mayday relay and informed relevant authorities, including the German federal police.
These incidents are not occurring in a vacuum. Sea-Watch and other migrant NGOs have repeatedly raised alarms about the increasing frequency and violence of attacks by Libyan militia and coast guard vessels against rescue operations in the Mediterranean. The organization points out that the Libyan patrol boat involved in the recent shooting was provided to the Libyan coast guard in 2018 as part of an EU deal signed the previous year. Under this agreement, the EU and Italy have provided financial, technical, and material support to Libyan authorities to intercept migrants and return them to Libya—a policy that many NGOs and international observers argue puts vulnerable people at even greater risk.
Giorgia Linardi, Sea-Watch’s spokesperson, was blunt in her criticism: “It’s unacceptable that the Italian government, and the EU allows criminal militia to fire on civilians.” She described the attacks as a “direct consequence” of current EU migration policies, which, she said, effectively outsource border enforcement to Libyan authorities with questionable records on human rights and accountability.
The controversy over these policies is compounded by longstanding reports from the United Nations, NGOs, and journalists documenting the inhumane conditions faced by migrants returned to Libya. These include widespread accounts of violence, sexual assault, discrimination, and even murder. Charities and international organizations argue that many roles assigned to the Libyan coast guard are routinely outsourced to militia or mercenaries, a practice that has only worsened as rival factions compete for power in Libya’s fragmented political landscape.
Italy, for its part, has adopted increasingly strict policies on illegal migration under right-wing Premier Giorgia Meloni. These measures include the extended detention of NGO rescue ships and the requirement that groups like Sea-Watch obtain permission from the Libyan coast guard before conducting search and rescue operations. Sea-Watch and other organizations argue that this requirement violates international law, since Libya is not recognized as a safe country by Italian courts and returning migrants there puts them at grave risk.
Italian authorities, meanwhile, have accused Sea-Watch and similar NGOs of being uncooperative with the Libyan coast guard, which they say is responsible for coordinating search and rescue efforts in the region. This standoff has led to a tense and sometimes dangerous environment at sea, with rescue organizations caught between their humanitarian mission and the legal and physical threats posed by both state and non-state actors.
These recent incidents are not isolated. On August 24, 2025, the private rescue ship Ocean Viking, operated by the charity SOS Mediterranee, was also subjected to gunfire in a similar manner. The NGO reported that “hundreds of bullets” were fired at their vessel after rescuing 87 people in international waters. The frequency and intensity of such attacks have increased in recent months, according to Sea-Watch and other advocacy groups.
As the European Union continues to grapple with migration across the Mediterranean, the consequences of its policies are being felt most acutely by those risking everything to escape conflict, poverty, and persecution. The deaths, gunfire, and chaos at sea are stark reminders of the human stakes involved—and the urgent need for accountability and reform.
For now, the Mediterranean remains a battleground not just for political interests but for the lives of migrants and the principles of humanitarian rescue. Each new tragedy underscores the high cost of current approaches and the pressing need for a solution that upholds both security and human dignity.
