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The UNICEF Regional Director, Geert Cappelaere, said that 550,000 children need assistance due the political instability, on-going conflict, displacement, and economic collapse after years of the Libyan crisis.

Cappelaere said in a statement after visiting Libya for the first time in the past couple of days that violence in the country forced families to leave their houses, warning that more than 80,000 children are internally displaced.

"Migrant children in Libya are particularly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, including in detention centers." Cappelaere's statement reads.

He also indicated that since 2011, UNICEF has been expanding its assistance to respond to childrens needs on the ground as more than 1.3 million children were vaccinated against polio last year.

"UNICEF and partners, including national institutions, were able to maintain nearly universal immunization coverage even when violence was at its peak." The statement adds.

UNICEF partnered with 28 municipalities across Libya under the Together for Children Campaign to support childrens basic rights, the statement that was posted on UNICEF's website explains.

Next October, UNICEF plans to have all its international staff operating full-time from Libya. UNICEF will further scale up its assistance to reach 1.5 million girls and boys and support strengthening of national institutions and civil society." The statement concludes.

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UNICEF: Over half a million Libyan children require humanitarian aids - The Libya Observer

BERLIN Germanys Chancellor Angela Merkel wants to cooperate more closely with Libya to stem the influx of migrants from North Africa to Europe via perilous Mediterranean crossings.

The process is in its infancy, but its supposed to develop like [the refugee deal with] Turkey once did, the chancellor told journalists Friday following talks with senior officials from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR).

To achieve this, Merkel said, its crucial to strengthen Libyas government and improve conditions in detention centers across the country.

Dodging a question on whether she supported a proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron to set up hotspots to handle asylum requests from start to finish in Libya, Merkel said efforts to improve the situation should not fail over money, promising the organizations up to50 million this year for new operations on the ground in Libya.

Fridays working lunch, set up at Merkels request, took place as the Italian government attributed a sharp drop in the number of refugees arriving at its southern shores to closer operation with war-torn Libya.

During the first 10 days of August, the number of migrants making the crossing to Italy fell by 76 percent compared to the same period last year; last month, the number of arrivals had already halved compared to 2016. Interior Minister Marco Minniti told POLITICOon Thursday this was a direct result of Italys attempts to boost the Libyan navy and coast guards ability to deal with vessels carrying migrants.

However, talk of a potential turning point in the migration crisis along the Central Mediterranean route, which has become the main entry point for undocumented migrants to Europe, is premature, the IOMs regional director for the EU, Norway and Switzerland cautioned ahead of the meeting with Merkel.

These sort of comparisons need to be done over a longer period of time, Eugenio Ambrosi told POLITICO in an interview at the IOMs Berlin office.Its enough to have two weeks of bad weather more than last year, and you have a drop [in numbers.]

Ambrosi acknowledged that the Italian measures could have had an impact but stressed that other factors such as a significant reduction of the number of people entering Libya from sub-Saharan Africa, as well as well as the slow stabilization of the political situation in parts of Libya, were equally decisive.

Whats more, most migrants picked up by Libyan ships are brought back to detention centers where conditions are not acceptable, he added.So you have taken them out of a nasty situation at sea, but you are putting them in an equally nasty or at times worse situation on land.

Asked about Macrons suggestion of hotspots in Libya, Ambrosi said that although the idea seemed excellent on paper, there currently were some insurmountable problems such as the lack of a legal framework for such centers, and that only a few European countries are willing to take in refugees whose application for asylum is approved.

We [first] need to have many more assurances from EU member states that those that would be recognized as refugees in these offshore processing centers are then actually accepted for resettlement, he said. And the track record, so far, of Europe as a whole, of course with exceptions is not necessarily encouraging.

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Merkel identifies Libya as key to migration crisis - POLITICO.eu

The European migrant crisis has had its share of striking images. The death of three-year old Syrian boy Alan Kurdi, drowned on a Turkish beach, brought world-wide attention to the plight of Syrian refugees. The demolition of the Calais jungle.Streams of thousands moving through the Balkansor packed by the hundreds into tiny boats. But few images from the crisis have been quite as striking by contrast as when a full boat of migrants on Wednesday landed at a tourist beach in Cadiz, Spain:

Weve written at length and for many years about the challenges that uncontrolled migration poses to the European project, all of which are once again brought to mind here. But perhaps the most troubling new development in the crisis is where these migrants are setting off from, as The Telegraph reports:

Spain could surpass Greece this year as a gateway formigrantsentering Europe by sea, international monitors warned on Thursday, as the number of arrivals swells to treble that of 2016.

Amid a crackdown on migration through Libya, more than 8,000 people have turned to the so-called Western Mediterranean Route from Morocco into Spain this year, compared to 2,500 during the same period in 2016.

The increase in migration through Morocco means that the Italians progress in controlling the migration flows from Libya might simply be diverting them westwards. After a massive surge in June that saw 12,000 migrants arrive in 48 hours, the Italian government was finally compelled to act. Italys navy is now patrolling the Libyan coast. In an interview with Politico, the Italian interior minister laid out Italys plan, which is refreshingly sensible:

The Italian minister has three requests to Europe. The first: to allocate to Africa and especially Libya, which currently accounts for 97 percent of departures [to Italy] the same amount of effort and resources that it devoted last year to stemming migration flows through the Balkans. [.]

Minnitis second request is for help tackling the problem of migrant reception centers in Libya, where he envisages increased cooperation between the EU and the United Nations. Last week,a reportdrafted by EU officials detailed severe shortcomings in sanitary conditions in the refugee centers in Libya. [.]

His final request and perhaps the biggest one is for Europe to make a five-year commitment to invest in the mayors of the 14 main Libyan cities where migrant smuggling takes place. The best way to stabilize the country, the minister said, is to create viable economic alternatives to the business of human trafficking, which currently constitutes the only functioning enterprises in Libya.

The Italian plan is serious in ways that Brussels efforts are not. Among the EUs only notable accomplishments in recent months: limiting exports of rubber boats to Libya. You cant make this stuff up.

The Italians have learned a hard lesson that Brussels cannot solve their migrant problems and have taken action. The Spanish, as yet, have not. If halting migration flows from war-torn Libya simply diverts those flows elsewhere, then Europe is in for a very long crisis indeed.

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Migrants, Blocked in Libya, Promptly Shift to Morocco - The American Interest

Farah Elle's music is unusual for an Irish artist in its mix of bright pop and Middle Eastern-style phrasing

I dont know what its like to go and try to rebuild a country, so I just have to respect that, says Farah El Neihum, better known by her stage name, Farah Elle, about her mother Dr Fatima Hamroush.

Dr Hamroush, a consultant ophthalmologist, moved her family to Ireland from Libya in 1996 when Farah was two years old and when the Libyan civil war broke out in 2000, she was an active member of the opposition, setting up the Irish Libyan Emergency Aid organisation.

After Colonel Gaddafi was ousted from power in 2011, Dr Hamroush was appointed Minister for Health in the Libyan Transitional Government, which meant leaving Elle and her two brothers to their own devises at home in Julianstown, Co. Meath, while she spent a chaotic year in Benghazi trying to rebuild the country.

I was 17, doing my Leaving Cert and within two days of her being nominated she had to go and she was just goneThere was no time to process what was going on, she told Risn Ingle on the latest Risn Meets podcast.

Theirs was a very unique situation and while it was difficult, Elle is incredibly proud of her mother who she refers to as a "rock 'n' roll ninja" and queen of the art of the mix-tape.

Being brought up Muslim, music was not a massive part of Elles childhood but she has strong memories of those mix-tapes her mother would make for long car journeys, with songs by Abba and Boney M, as well as her fathers good signing voice.

She got her first proper keyboard as a 12-year-old, taught herself to play and has been banging out tunes on it ever since.

After years of weekend schooling in the Mosque in Clonskeagh, Elle is fluent in Arabic and goes between it and English in many of her songs. In this podcast you will hear her perform four of themlive in studio: Rajeen, Sunblock, Holiday and Laundry.

To listen to Farah Elle speak to Risn Ingle about music, her fascinating family, growing up Muslim in Ireland, and more, go to http://www.irishtimes.com/podcasts iTunes, Soundcloud or your preferred podcast app.

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Podcast: 'My mum tried to help rebuild Libya, I respect that' - Irish Times

Do they belong to the official coast guard, or do they just look like they do? Are they bringing refugees back to Libya in order to save them, or are they just planning to squeeze every last penny out of them? It can be difficult in Libya to distinguish between official and self-proclaimed maritime rescuers, to understand the links between the different groups and their respective motives.

No, his people are part of the official Libyan coast guard, a militia leader from the city of Az-Zawiyah, some 50 kilometers (31 miles) outside the capital, tells a reporter from the US newspaper Washington Post. Six years ago he had fought against then-dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Afterward, he and his men took over as the coast guard - though whether they're state-sanctioned or operating on their own goes unanswered by the Post reporter. In any case, the boat operated by the militia chief and his tribesmen is inscribed with the words "Libyan Coast Guard."

The refugees they pick up are handed over to other tribesmen, who take them to a specially built detention center. The militia leader says his men are not involved in what goes on at the detention center. And yes, there are patrols that charge refugee boats a fine in order to be allowed to pass. But those men do not belong to the coast guard - they are smugglers who wear similar clothing. That is why the international aid agencies think the coast guard is trafficking in humans, he tells the Post reporter.

Refugees picked up by Libyan boats are often taken to specially built detention centers

Desperate times

So who belongs to the country's coast guard? The situation on the Libyan coast is difficult, according to Gnter Meyer, head of the Center for Research on the Arab World at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz.

The Libyan coast guard has around 1,000 civil servants, all of whom are relatively badly paid. Converted, their wages come out to around 500 euros ($590) a month, though often they go months without getting paid. On the other hand, smugglers earn a considerable amount of money. Larger boats can earn up to 1 million euros per trip. "Parts of the coast guard are also involved in this situation," Meyer told DW.

The problem is exacerbated by the Western-backed unity government's lack of real power - it is reliant on the support of different militias. "That is why the people on the ships belonging to the Libyan coast guard are also associated with the most important militias," Meyer explained.

No standards for rule of law

The detention centers where refugees are housed are also lacking standards for rule of law. Journalists and human rights organizations have reported on serious human rights abuses taking place in the camps. The conditions are often poor, and people frequently go malnourished. Refugees are beaten and extorted, and women are sometimes raped and sold as sex slaves.

"It is therefore a highly criminal business that goes on there," Meyer said. "Estimates range from one to one-and-a-half billion euros per year." Meanwhile, human trafficking remains one of the most important industries in Libya, especially in the south of the country, he added. Up to 90 percent of the total income generated in that region has been from smuggling.

Reducing the number of refugees

Despite these circumstances, the EU is planning to close the Mediterranean route in order to reduce the number of refugees. According to a press release published in July, the EU wants to support and expand the coast guard. To this end, Brussels has already allocated some 90 million euros. Now, another 46 million euros are to be invested. "It is important to ensure that human rights are respected," the statement said.

According to Gnter Meyer, it's doubtful whether this will help improve human rights standards. "In general around 500 members of the coast guard are to be trained, but if they know that they're entering the migrant-smuggling business and planning to pursue their own interests, this training could prove to be problematic," he said.

EU or smugglers?

The Libyan government is weak, and the majority of the country's population lives in poverty. As long as these two factors don't change, the coast guard is likely to be a desirable place to work, Meyer said. The same applies to the southern part of the country, where people from sub-Saharan Africa enter cross the border. There, too, migration can hardly be prevented because of the generous income it produces.

Many of the migrants seeking a new life on the other side of the Mediterranean are coming from this part of the country. As long as they continue to travel toward the coast, many Libyans will face a difficult choice: work with the EU, or join the smugglers who are reaping the profits.

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Libya's maritime rescuers caught between duty and temptation - Deutsche Welle