Armed men disrupt Mediterranean migration boat rescues
AN operation to rescue 93 asylum seekers and migrants onboard a wooden fishing boat off the coast of Libya took a dangerous turn on 9 July. As workers from the search and rescue NGO SOS Méditerranée were evacuating people from the vessel, two dinghies carrying armed, masked men arrived on the scene. Two of the men boarded the fishing boat, prompting the remaining asylum seekers and migrants onboard to jump into the sea. A spokesperson from SOS Méditerranée told the Guardian that it was unclear who the men were, although it was clear they were Libyan. “The people onboard, many who couldn’t swim, were…