In late August, the Ocean Viking, a civil rescue ship, was patrolling the central Mediterranean Sea when it was hit by a barrage of bullets. The Libyan Coast Guard fired hundreds of rounds at the humanitarian boat, many of them at head height, breaking windows, damaging the ship and terrorising those onboard. This included the crew and 87 people who had been rescued earlier that day from two boats in distress.
The assault, which lasted around 20 minutes, is unprecedented. The Libyan Coast Guard (LCG) has fired ‘warning shots’ into the air or water around rescue ships on multiple occasions before, including the Ocean Viking in 2023, but shots which appear aimed to kill or injure have never happened before. The incident, which took place in international waters, has led to renewed calls for the European Union to end its working relationship with border forces in Libya.
In 2023, a European Commission official, speaking at a public event, identified direct fire as a ‘red line’ that would have consequences for the EU-Libya partnership. But in response to a request for comment, the commission says Libyan authorities are investigating the incident and that they are “not at the stage” of discussing consequences.
