The German aid group Sea-Watch reported that an armed vessel linked to the Libyan Coast Guard fired on its rescue ship, Sea-Watch 5, on Monday, after the crew saved 90 people from an overcrowded boat. The incident occurred in international waters, about 55 nautical miles north of Tripoli. Sea-Watch stated the attack began around 11 a.m.
A single shot was fired first, followed by a burst of approximately ten to fifteen more shots, all without warning. Militia members on the Libyan vessel then used radio to order Sea-Watch 5 to sail to Libya. They threatened to board the ship when the rescue crew refused.
Giulia Messmer, a Sea-Watch spokesperson, said the group has documented more than 75 cases of extreme violence by Libyan militias in the Mediterranean since 2016. She noted Italy offers no protection, and there are no consequences for the violence. Sea-Watch crews came under fire from Libyan units in September 2025, leading the organization to file criminal complaints in Rome and Hamburg last month.
Other aid groups report similar hostility. In August 2025, SOS Méditerranée stated the Libyan Coast Guard fired on its vessel, the Ocean Viking, in international waters while it carried 87 migrants. Human rights organizations have long criticized the European Union for funding and equipping the Libyan Coast Guard to intercept migrants, despite widespread allegations of forced labor, torture, and unlawful detention against returned migrants. Messmer believes the EU helped create "a violent monster" it cannot control.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) will begin hearings into crimes against migrants and refugees in Libya from May 19–21, 2026. These proceedings will determine whether to confirm charges against Khaled Mohamed al-Hishri, a senior figure in the former Special Deterrence Forces (RADA) militia. This militia is aligned with the Tripoli-based Libyan Presidential Council, which took power in 2021 through a UN-backed process.
Al-Hishri faces accusations of committing, ordering, and overseeing crimes against humanity and war crimes against both Libyan nationals and migrants detained at Tripoli's Mitiga Prison between May 2014 and June 2020. This marks the first case in the ICC's 15-year investigation into Libya to reach this stage, according to the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). FIDH described it as a "long-awaited step toward justice, truth, reparation, and deterrence."
Libya is a major transit point for migrants trying to reach Europe. It has become an increasingly hostile environment, with people facing widespread abuses and inhumane conditions from security forces and militias. Migrants encounter systemic exploitation, physical violence, and death. Security forces and militias are widely accused of abuses in detention facilities across the country.
A February 2025 report detailed horrific experiences within these centers. Human trafficking victims recounted being captured in Tunisia and sold to Libyan armed groups. Many were held until their families could pay ransoms, sometimes exceeding $700.
Through mid-2025, authorities discovered a series of mass graves containing hundreds of migrant bodies at various locations. One site, the former headquarters for the Stability Support Apparatus (SSA), yielded 10 charred bodies. The SSA operated under the Presidential Council until May 2025. An additional 67 bodies were found in hospital refrigerators, and another burial site was uncovered at the Tripoli Zoo, an area previously under SSA control.
An International Organization for Migration (IOM) report published last month stated nearly 8,000 people lost their lives or disappeared on migration routes in 2025. The Central Mediterranean route from Libya and Tunisia to southern Europe remains "the deadliest migration route to Europe based on existing evidence, with casualties reported even before migrants reach embarkation points."