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Libyan coastguards drag a deflated rubber boat carrying the bodies of migrants after the craft sank off Garabulli, 60 kilometres (40 miles) east of Tripoli, on June 10, 2017. Photo: Mahmud Turkia / AFP

GARABULLI - At least ten migrants have died after their Europe-bound boats sank off Libya's coast and some 100 people are missing, coastguard officials and aid groups said on Saturday.

Eight bodies were found on an inflatable craft that can carry up to 120 passengers, said Colonel Fathi al-Rayani, head of the coastguard in Garabulli, 60 kilometres east of Tripoli.

He estimated that "at least 100" migrants were missing.

The boat was spotted deflated off Garabulli, and the coastguard found the bodies inside, said an AFP reporter who accompanied them.

READ: 44 migrants, including babies, die in Niger desert

The Italian coastguard meanwhile said it had coordinated the rescue of 1,650 migrants off the Libyan coast, with aid groups involved in the operations saying two dead bodies were found on a dinghy.

Conflict-ravaged Libya has long been a stepping stone for migrants seeking a better life in Europe.

The UN refugee agency has said around 61,250 migrants have reached Italy since the start of the year after crossing the Mediterranean, while nearly 1,800 more are dead or missing.

The Italian coastguard has said that more than 900 migrants were rescued off Libya on Thursday and Friday.

Libyan navy spokesman General Ayoub Qassem meanwhile told AFP that coastguards patrolling off Zawiya, west of Tripoli, on Friday intercepted five inflatables and two wooden boats with more than 570 migrants on board.

READ: Hundreds of migrants rescued in major operation off Libya

He said the boats were being escorted by five Libyans on a jet ski and two outboards, and that three of the men were apprehended.

"The migrants are Africans, Bangladeshis, Egyptians, Moroccans... and were delivered to the detention centre in Zawiya," Qassem said.

Intercepted or rescued migrants are often held in detention centres before being repatriated.

People traffickers have exploited the chaos in Libya since the 2011 uprising deposed and killed strongman Moamer Kadhafi to boost their lucrative but deadly trade.

AFP

24 May 2017

A wooden boat carrying between 500 and 700 people was just 20 nautical miles off the Libyan coast when the accident happened.

22 May 2017

Integration to tackle the migration crisis, saying bloc members had not paid enough heed to Italy's warnings about the growing burden.

11 May 2017

Footage filmed by Sea-Watch, a non-governmental organisation, showed a Libyan coastguard vessel coming within metres of its own ship as it sped to stop the migrants.

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Ten migrants die, 100 missing off Libya - eNCA

Gadhafi was released from the northwestern Libyan city of Zintan under a "General Amnesty Law" passed by Libya's House of Representatives, the Abu Bakr al-Sideeq militia said in a statement Saturday.

He has not been shown in public.

A close associate of Saif told CNN Gadhafi was released Friday but would not reveal Gadhafi's current location, citing security concerns.

Gadhafi is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity.

"The reported release of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi based on the Libyan parliament's 2015 flawed amnesty law does not change the fact that he is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity related to the 2011 uprising," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at HRW. "Libyan authorities, who remain obligated to surrender him to the court, should urgently confirm whether he was released and disclose his current whereabouts."

The House of Representatives -- based in the country's east -- is not internationally recognized.

However, in its statement, the Abu Bakr al-Sideeq Brigade said Libya's House of Representatives was the country's legitimate authority and it was releasing Gadhafi as a result of that parliament's amnesty.

"Based on that we have released Mr Saif al-Islam Moammar al-Gadhafi and he is free. We confirm that he left the city of Zintan on the 14th of Ramadan ... we call on all rehabilitation and correctional facilities to follow Zintan and release all the political prisoners who are included in the amnesty law."

Saif al-Islam Gadhafi's lawyer, Khaled ElZaidy confirmed Gadhafi's release, telling CNN: "He is free in a safe place in an undisclosed location in a Libyan city."

ElZaidy said that he expected Gadhafi to address the Libyan people.

"Unlike the different governments, the will of the people is where he gets his power from," the lawyer said. "He is protected by the Libyan people, the tribes and the people who are his incubator ... he is popular and there is no worry about him. In every part of Libya he is protected by the Libyan tribes."

ElZaidy said Gadhafi had been following developments in Libya during his captivity and that he wanted to work on reconciliation and fighting terrorism in Libya.

"His priority is to eradicate terrorism, to bring security then bring back life and economic prosperity," he said. "Any international organizations that want to combat terrorism, will find Saif Gadhafi. He will have a major role in bringing peace to Libya."

Gadhafi was once considered the heir apparent to his father, who ruled Libya for over 30 years.

Before the 2011 Libyan civil war, he was believed to be a moderate in comparison to his father.

But in 2011 the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest for alleged crimes against humanity during attempts to quash the revolution that led to his father's ouster.

Libyan authorities refused to hand him over, saying the court in The Hague did not have authority to try the case.

A trial was held in Libya's capital, with Gadhafi facing charges relating to attempts to suppress the revolution uprising, including the killing of protesters -- a crime punishable by death.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights criticized the trial, asserting that it failed to meet international standards for fair trials.

CNN's Becky Anderson and Susannah Cullinane contributed to this report.

Read more from the original source:
Libya: Militia says Moammar Gadhafi son Saif al-Islam freed - CNN

Libya Herald

Militias continue to dominate and destabilize Libya: UN report Libya Herald A report by the United Nations has confirmed the extent to which militias in Libya still dominate the country in the absence of a regular army and police force. It highlights how militias are often motivated by power and financial reward rather than ... and more »

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Militias continue to dominate and destabilize Libya: UN report - Libya Herald

UN Libya Experts Panel final report reveals complex obstacles to LPA implementation Libya Herald The 299-page report summary says that the UN Panel's monitoring of the political transition in Libya has focused on the incomplete implementation of the Libyan Political Agreement in the absence of its endorsement by the House of Representatives.

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UN Libya Experts Panel final report reveals complex obstacles to LPA implementation - Libya Herald

The UN panel said its requests for information from the UAE had received no response. (Photo: Internet)

The United Arab Emirates assistance that violates a U.N. arms embargo has significantly boosted air power for forces loyal to Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar, a report by U.N. investigators published on Friday said, according to what Reuters quoted.

Air power has helped Haftars eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) gain the upper hand since last year in Libyas conflict between rival groups vying for power, Reuters added.

The panel of experts which reports on violations of U.N. sanctions across Libya said Haftars forces had received aircraft as well as military vehicles from the United Arab Emirates, and had built up an air base at Al Khadim, Reuters indicated.

The annual U.N. report provides rare detail on the level of outside intervention in Libya, where foreign backing for rival armed camps is widely seen as having exacerbated conflict.

Fridays report said there had been a general increase in direct foreign support to armed factions in Libya, breaching a U.N. arms embargo imposed during the countrys 2011 uprising and tightened in 2014. Much of the section on recent transfers of materiel or other assistance was taken up by the development of the LNA air force and reports of UAE assistance, explained Reuters.

The United Arab Emirates have been providing both material support and direct support to the LNA, which have significantly increased the air support available to the LNA, it said, according to Reuters.

The panel said its requests for information from the UAE had received no response.

Reuters also said that the U.N. report included satellite imagery of Al Khadim air base, about 105 km (65 miles) east of Benghazi, between July 2014 and March 2017, showing a gradual build-up of infrastructure and aircraft, including drones most probably operated by the UAE.

The U.N. panel said it received information that attack helicopters were delivered to the LNA in April 2015. One Mi-24p helicopter was traced back to Belarus, which confirmed it had delivered four of the aircraft to the UAE in 2014, Reuters wrote.

It also published a photo of an AT-802i single engine plane which it said was based in eastern Libya. The plane, originally designed for agricultural or firefighting use, was repurposed in the United States for counter-insurgency and sold to the UAE, the report said, according to Reuters.

The panel said it had confirmed a delivery of 93 armored personnel carriers and 549 armored and non-armored vehicles to the LNA in the eastern city of Tobruk in April 2016. The personnel carriers likely included Panther T6 and Tygra models, both made by companies based in the UAE, the report said, and were delivered by ship from Saudi Arabia, Reuters added.

It said it had received information on further large deliveries of Toyota pick-up trucks and armored 44 cars to Tobruk in January and April 2017, on a ship that had passed through Port Said in Egypt, Reuters concluded.

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UAE violates UN arms embargo on Libya by providing air power aids for Haftar's forces in east Libya - Libyan Express