Violent Incidents with Libyan Militias
Since 2016 a variety of Libyan militias, some of which are posing as a so-called Libyan Coast Guard, have attacked people fleeing the war-torn country and their civil rescuers on the high seas. While the European Union and especially Italy have poured millions of European taxpayer Euros into the hands of these armed war criminals, supplied them with ships, trainings and official acknowledgement, civil search and rescue organisations have been documenting their erratic, violent and often murderous conduct.
We have compiled a a documentation of 60 violent incidents within the last 10 years – an excerpt of which we're publishing here. To download the full report, please see the bottom of the page.
2025: Chasing a Boat Instead of Retrieving Persons in the Water; One Person Drowned
Location: international waters, Libyan search and rescue (SAR) zone
Date of the incident: 28 September 2025
Alleged perpetrator(s) affiliations: so-called Libyan Coast Guard
patrol boat TS-LCG-300
Summary: The so-called Libyan Coast Guard was on-scene a boat
in distress, at risk of capsizing due to weather conditions. Instead of
retrieving persons in the water, as urged by the civil aircraft Sea-
bird 2, they chased the boat in distress. Meanwhile, several persons
were recovered onboard the merchant vessel Maridive 704. Facing
difficulties with the transshipment, the so-called Libyan coastguard
eventually intercepted survivors and pulled them back to Libya. At
least one person drowned.
2025: EU-Donated Militia Boat Shoots in the Direction of Sea-Watch 5
Location: International waters
Date of the incident: 26 September 2025
Alleged perpetrator(s) affiliations: so-called Libyan Coast Guard
Summary: During a rescue by the NGO ship Sea-Watch 5, a vessel
of the so-called Libyan Coast Guard appeared on scene and demand-
ed the ship to head north. After the NGO crew
had finished the rescue and moved all survivors inside, the so-called
Libyan coastguard fired a shot. The so-
called Libyan Coast Guard ship was the Ubari 660 Corrubia Class ves-
sel, that was handed over to the so-called Libyan Coast Guard by Italy
in 2018.
2025: 20 Minutes Armed Attack on the Ocean Viking
Location: International waters, Libyan search and rescue (SAR) zone,
40nm north of Libya
Date of the incident: 24 August 2025
Alleged perpetrator(s) affiliations: so-called Libyan Coast Guard
Summary: While the NGO ship Ocean Viking was engaged in
searching for a boat in distress, as authorized by the Italian author-
ities, it was approached by a so-called Libyan Coast Guard patrol
boat, which told the ship to leave the area. Then, without warning,
two men from the Libyan vessel opened fire on the ship, circling
around the ship and targeting people on board the NGO vessel. This
lasted for at least 20 minutes. The NGO ship had 87 survivors on
board from previous rescues. The attack caused bullet holes at head
height, the destruction of multiple antennas, four broken windows on
the Bridge, and several bullets struck and damaged the three RHIBS
(fast rescue boats), along with other rescue equipment.
2024: Intercepting Women and Children at Gun Point
Location: International waters
Date of the incident: 28 November 2024
Alleged perpetrator(s) affiliations: unknown armed men on a fast
boat
Summary: The NGO ship Geo Barents arrived to an ongoing inter-
ception of a boat in distress. The interception was conducted at
gunpoint by unknown armed men, who threatened the people on
the rubber boat and shot in the air. 70 people in distress jumped
in the water and were rescued by the NGO ship. The Libyan fast
boat left scene with 29 women and children to bring them back to
Libya, tearing families apart.
2024: Threatening Mare Jonio During a Rescue Operation
Location: International waters
Date of the incident: 04 April 2024
Alleged perpetrator(s) affiliations: so-called Libyan Coast Guard patrol boat 658 Fezzan
Summary: During a rescue initiated by the NGO ship Mare Jonio,
the so-called Libyan coastguard approached the scene at high
spread, having already people on board from an earlier intercep-
tion, and threatened the Mare Jonio’s crew to leave the boat in distress.
Members of the so-called Libyan Coast Guard vessel shot
in the air and later towards the RHIBs, causing panic among the
people on board of the Libyan vessel and the boat in distress, and
leading to several people in the water. The crew of the Mare Jonio
managed to retrieve all people visibly in the water and from the
boat in distress, while those people still on board of the Libyan
vessel were illegally brought back to Libya.
2024: Dangerous Maneuvers Around the Humanity 1
Location: International waters, Libyan SAR zone
Date of the incident: 31 January 2024
Alleged perpetrator(s) affiliations: so-called Libyan Coast Guard
Summary: A so-called Libyan Coast Guard patrol boat set off at full
speed on a collision course with the NGO ship Humanity 1, crossed
its bow, and then circled her for minutes at a distance of less than
50 meters.
2023: Harassing a Rubber Boat From a Ship
Location: International waters
Date of the incident: 24 October 2023
Alleged perpetrator(s) affiliations: so-called Libyan Coast Guard
Summary: The so-called Libyan Coast Guard harassed a boat in dis-
tress, persons escaped and jumped or fell in the water. The NGO
ship Sea-Eye 4, that was present, managed to rescue some of the
people, others went missing.
2023 Pirate Attack on an Italian Fishing Boat
Location: International waters
Date of the incident: 18 July 2023
Alleged perpetrator(s) affiliations: so-called Libyan Coast Guard
Summary: According to media reports, an Italian fishing boat was
attacked with machine gun fire by a vessel of the Libyan Coast Guard,
some 94 miles north of the Libyan city of Misrata. After
firing shots, militiamen from the so-called Libyan Coast Guard vessel board-
ed the fishing vessel and took the SIM cards of the fisherman. The
ships rubber was damaged, leaving the boat adrift, and the captain
suffered a shock reaction and required medical attention. The at-
tacking vessel was probably donated to the Libyan actors by Italy.
2022: Threatening Civilian Aircraft with SAM-Missiles*
Location: International waters, Maltese SAR zone
Date of the incident: 25 October 2022
Alleged perpetrator(s) affiliations: so-called Libyan Coast Guard
Summary: The NGO aircraft Seabird was on scene of a boat in
distress, when the so-called Libyan Coast Guard arrived. They
told the aircraft to “get out of Libyan territorial”. When they were
reminded that they were in European SAR area, not the Libyan
territorial waters, the so-called Libyan Coast Guard replied “leave
territorial otherwise we’ll shoot you”,”get away from Libyan terri-
torial otherwise we’ll shoot you by SAM missiles”. The people on
board of the distress case were intercepted and forcibly returned
to Libya. (* SAM = Surface to Air Missiles)
2022: Gunshots at People in the Water
Location: International waters, Maltese SAR zone
Date of the incident: 19 January 2022
Alleged perpetrator(s) affiliations: so-called Libyan Coast Guard
Summary: When the NGO vessel Louise Michel arrived on the scene of an interception of a rubber boat , the crew witnessed members of the so-called Libyan Coast Guard shooting at people who had jumped into the waters to escape the pushback. It remains unclear if people were killed.
2021: Chasing and Shooting at a Boat in Maltese SAR
Location: International waters, Maltese SAR zone
Date of the incident: 24 November 2021
Alleged perpetrator(s) affiliations: so-called Libyan Coast Guard
Summary: The Watch the Med – Alarm Phone, contacted by the people on board of a boat in distress in the Maltese SAR zone, reported the so-called Libyan coastguard been on scene chasing and shooting towards the boat. The so-called Libyan coastguard intercepted the boat and forcibly returned the people
on board of the distress case back to Libya.
2021: Attempting to Ram an Escaping Boat
Location: International waters, Maltese SAR zone
Date of the incident: 30 June 2021
Alleged perpetrator(s) affiliations: so-called Libyan Coast Guard
Summary: A fishing vessel was taking a rubber boat in distress
to its side, when the Libyan patrol boat 648 Ras Jadir headed to
the scene full speed. Attempting to stop the boat in distress, the
so-called Libyan Coast Guard fired into the water, circled the people
who were trying to flee, attempted to deploy a rope to catch the
boat and also attempted to ram the boat, approaching it too fast
and too close. More than an hour after arriving on-scene,
the so-called Libyan Coast Guard started to head south. The 63
people arrived safely and autonomously in Lampedusa, Italy.
2020: Killing 3 People upon Disembarkation
Location: Al-Khums, Libya
Date of the incident: 23 July 2020
Alleged perpetrator(s) affiliations: so-called Libyan Coast Guard
Summary: 70 persons were intercepted at sea by the so-called
Libyan coastguard. Upon disembarkation, as some people tried to
escape, the so-called Libyan coastguard shot them. Three Suda-
nese persons died, two other persons were injured.
2019: Threats Against Alan Kurdi and Moonbird
Location: International waters
Date of the incident: 26 October 2019
Alleged perpetrator(s) affiliations: Zuwara Coastal Security militia
Summary: During an ongoing rescue operation by the NGO ship
Alan Kurdi and aircraft Moonbird, two heavily armed Libyan patrol boats were approaching, escorting another boat with around 30 people on board. Both Libyan flagged speed boats threatened Alan Kurdi’s crew and took up position between the distress case and the Alan Kurdi. After threatening by radio to point weapons at the NGO asset, the Libyans fired “warning shots” into the air and water where several people had fallen in. Even though the Alan Kurdi was hardly able to maneuver, as it was surrounded by the Libyan patrol boats, the crew managed to complete the rescue.
2019: Killing a Person upon Disembarkation
Location: Tripoli, Libya
Date of the incident: 19 September 2019
Alleged perpetrator(s) affiliations: so-called Libyan Coast Guard
Summary: A Sudanese person died from a bullet wound, hours
after being returned to shore by the so-called Libyan coastguard.
This occurred at Abusitta Disembarkation point in Tripoli as many
of the 103 migrants returned to shore were resisting being sent
back to detention centers. IOM staff who were on the scene re-
ported that armed men began shooting in the air when several mi-
grants tried to run away from their guards. The person injured was
struck by a bullet in the stomach. Despite receiving medical aid on
the spot by an IOM doctor and then being transferred to a nearby
clinic, he died two hours after admission.
2018: Interfering With a Rescue Operation, Causing 5 People to Go Missing
Location: International waters
Date of the incident: 25 May 2018
Alleged perpetrator(s) affiliations: so-called Libyan Coast Guard
Summary: When the so-called Libyan Coast Guard intervened in an ongoing Sea-Watch 3 rescue operation, a large group of panicking refugees jumped from a rubber boat onto a floating rescue device and into the water. The most catastrophic consequences could only be avoided by a retreat of the Libyan vessel and determined action by the Sea-Watch rescue crew. But as the crew found out in a survey among the survivors, still five people went missing in the incident.
2017: Boarding of the Lifeline
Location: International waters
Date of the incident: 26 September 2017
Alleged perpetrator(s) affiliations: so-called Libyan Coast Guard
Summary: An asset of the so-called Libyan coastguard approached a vessel run by the NGO Mission Lifeline through a dangerous maneuver and fired one shot, before two Libyan officials jumped on board the NGO ship and said they wanted to take those rescued back to Libya. The NGO crew explained that they could not comply with the request because they were bound by the principle of non-refoulement. The Libyan officials threatened that they would sink the ship the next time they found it in “their waters”.
2017: Hijacking the Golfo Azzurro
Location: International waters, 20 miles off Libya
Date of the incident: 15 August 2017
Alleged perpetrator(s) affiliations: so-called Libyan Coast Guard
Summary: Only a few days after the Open Arms was threatened with warning shots, the Golfo Azzurro of the same NGO was seized for two hours by the so-called Libyan Coast Guard, in international waters and forced, at gunpoint, to head into Libyan waters.
2017: Shooting at an Italian Coast Guard Ship
Location: international waters, 13 nautical miles off the Libyan coast
Date of the incident: 26 May 2017
Alleged perpetrator(s) affiliations: so-called Libyan Coast Guard
Summary: An Italian patrol boat CP 288 of the Italian coastguard was subjected to gunfire from a similar vessel of the so-called Libyan Coast Guard. The Libyan patrol boat, after ordering the Italian vessel to stop by radio, fired a shot into the left stern of the Italian patrol boat, which managed to get away. Afterwards, the General Command of the Harbour Offices (Maricogecap) received a call of apologies from the Libyan authorities which admitted that the Libyan military mistook the Italian vessel for a boat carrying potential persons in distress.
2016: Interfering With a Rescue Operation, Causing a Number of Deaths
Location: International waters, 14,5 nautical miles from the Libyan coast
Date of the incident: 21 October 2016
Alleged perpetrator(s) affiliations: so-called Libyan Coast Guard
Summary: During an ongoing rescue mission of a rubber boat with around 150 people on board by the NGO vessel Sea-Watch 2, a vessel of the so-called Libyan Coast Guard arrived and boarded the boat
in distress. They hit the people on board with sticks and kept the Sea-Watch’s crew from distributing life jackets. The violent behaviour caused a mass panic; all of the 150 passengers fell into the water and a two-digit number drowned.
2016: Shooting and Boarding the Bourbon Argos
Location: International waters
Date of the incident: 17 August 2016
Alleged perpetrator(s) affiliations: so-called Libyan Coast Guard
Summary: The NGO ship Bourbon Argos was approached and attacked by a group of armed men onboard an unidentified speedboat. Given the lack of clear identification and communication or any radio answer from the approaching speedboat, the crew took the precautionary measure to move to a designated safe area inside the vessel. There were no rescued people onboard at that time. The attack began when armed men on board the speedboat fired shots toward the Bourbon Argos from a distance of 400 to 500 metres and then boarded the vessel. The armed men boarded the Bourbon Argos and moved around, leaving after approximately 50 minutes. There were signs of at least 13 bullets shot at the vessel.