During the evening of Monday 30 January, the European External Action Service (EEAS) announced the launch the same day of phase two of the training for the Libyan coastguard and navy as part of the Eunavfor Med Sophia operation.
This second part of the training has begun in a maritime training centre in Crete (Greece). Around 20 trainees will receive training in areas such as maritime legal aspects, human rights and awareness-raising of gender issues, as well as in search and rescue operations, the EEAS stated in its press release. This training will be delivered in different regions of the Mediterranean area throughout 2017 and completes the basic training delivered in phase one. It is provided for senior officers with the rank of captain or commodore.
On 20 June 2016 (see EUROPE 11576), the Foreign Affairs Council decided to add the training of coastguards and the Libyan navy to the mandate of Eunavfor Med Sophia. This training then began in October 2016 when 78 coastguards and members of the Libyan navy boarded EU training vessels. The general goal of the training is to improve their ability to intercept smuggling and trafficking in Libya, and to conduct search and rescue activities aimed at saving lives and improving security in Libyan territorial waters (see EUROPE 11656).
Eunavfor Med Sophia has thus far enabled the lives of around 32,000 migrants to be saved. It has also enabled 101 alleged traffickers and smugglers to be arrested, and 380 boats to be confiscated. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)