A controversial migration agreement between Italy and Libya has been automatically renewed for three years amid warnings by humanitarian organizations that this might make Rome and the European Union complicit in crimes against humanity.
The Memorandum of Understanding on Migration — signed in 2017 to provide Libyan authorities with financial and technical support to “combat illegal immigration” — was automatically renewed for a second time on Thursday after a November 2 deadline for making changes passed.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday warned that “assisting Libya’s coast guard, knowing that it will facilitate the return of thousands of people to serious human rights violations, makes Italy and the European Union complicit in such crimes.” HRW said Italy’s “obsession” with keeping migrants and asylum seekers away from its shores has meant “facilitating” the return of about 108,000 people to abuse in Libya since 2017.
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