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  • #16
    EU to end ship patrols in scaled down Operation Sophia

    The European Union will cease the maritime patrols that have rescued thousands of migrants making the perilous Mediterranean Sea crossing from North Africa to Europe, but it will extend air missions, two diplomats said on Tuesday (26 March).

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    • #17
      According to the Indo article, Eithne was due to go back to the Med at the "end of the month"

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      • #18
        Originally posted by Sparky42 View Post
        According to the Indo article, Eithne was due to go back to the Med at the "end of the month"
        https://www.independent.ie/irish-new...-37958639.html
        No doubt air patrols will find distressed sundry craft between N.Africa and S.European mainland. What is the plan then or is it only -swim, sink, or the Libyan C.G. The Media will emphasise losses with pictures of casualties and everybody will blame someone else.

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        • #19
          A special operations team seizes the tanker hijacked by migrants who did not want to return to Libya.


          . Malta's armed forces have taken control of a tanker which had been seized by migrants off the coast of Libya on Wednesday.

          The tanker, Elhiblu 1, is now heading to a Maltese port with the crew and migrants, who will be handed over to police.

          More than 100 migrants who had been rescued by the ship hijacked it after being told they would return to Libya.

          They had ordered the ship's captain to head north towards Europe.

          In a statement, the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) said they had established communications with the captain of the ship when it was still proceeding towards Malta.

          The captain said he was not in control of the vessel and that he and his crew were being forced and threatened by a number of migrants to proceed to Malta.

          A patrol vessel stopped the tanker from entering Maltese territorial waters, and a special operations unit team was dispatched to board and secure the vessel, the AFM said in a statement.

          EU naval mission 'failed to end people smuggling'
          Mediterranean migrant crossings 'deadlier than ever'
          Sharp fall in illegal migration to EU
          The man behind Italy's migrant drop
          Italy's interior minister, Matteo Salvini, had earlier called the migrants "pirates" and said they would not be allowed to dock in Italy.

          He described the act as "the first piracy on the high seas with migrants", according to the Associated Press news agency.

          The incident comes as the EU says it is ending navy patrols in the Mediterranean.

          The EU says the decision to suspend Operation Sophia in September follows a request by Italy.

          The mission was put in place four years ago to deter people smugglers and rescue migrants trying to reach Europe by boat. Tens of thousands have been saved.

          Lately, the mission has largely targeted smuggling networks as the number of people making the crossing dropped sharply following a controversial deal between the EU and Libya.

          But Mr Salvini, the leader of the right-wing League party, has blamed Operation Sophia for continuing to bring rescued migrants to Italian shores.

          He has been at the centre of a number of international row over his refusal to allow migrant ships dock in Italian ports.
          'He died who loved to live,' they'll say,
          'Unselfishly so we might have today!'
          Like hell! He fought because he had to fight;
          He died that's all. It was his unlucky night.
          http://www.salamanderoasis.org/poems...nnis/luck.html

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          • #20
            So who is going to enforce the arms and oil embargo?

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            • #21
              NS should be looking to either use the time for improving the lot of the sailors at home (plus Brexit is coming) or putting a small mobile training team on the ground in a friendly secure country (as part of Op Sophia, as other countries currently do). Doesn’t have to be permanent either (could be a few weeks at a time).

              Afaik there are no EU forces on the ground in Libya

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              • #22
                Originally posted by DeV View Post
                NS should be looking to either use the time for improving the lot of the sailors at home (plus Brexit is coming) or putting a small mobile training team on the ground in a friendly secure country (as part of Op Sophia, as other countries currently do). Doesn’t have to be permanent either (could be a few weeks at a time).

                Afaik there are no EU forces on the ground in Libya
                The difficulty in fragile states like Libya, and Somalia is that training teams will be dealing with the same pack of cards and will be training former pirates or smugglers to do things better and more effectively. The region remains unstable and not on anybody's holiday itinerary. Political stability is a prerequisite to normality or getting things done. When politics fails chaos ensues as in Brexit.

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                • #23
                  Originally posted by ancientmariner View Post
                  The difficulty in fragile states like Libya, and Somalia is that training teams will be dealing with the same pack of cards and will be training former pirates or smugglers to do things better and more effectively. The region remains unstable and not on anybody's holiday itinerary. Political stability is a prerequisite to normality or getting things done. When politics fails chaos ensues as in Brexit.
                  Apart form which if you had training teams in such staes then they would need protection forces as well I would have said.

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                  • #24
                    Originally posted by ancientmariner View Post
                    The difficulty in fragile states like Libya, and Somalia is that training teams will be dealing with the same pack of cards and will be training former pirates or smugglers to do things better and more effectively. The region remains unstable and not on anybody's holiday itinerary. Political stability is a prerequisite to normality or getting things done. When politics fails chaos ensues as in Brexit.
                    Op Sophia has been training and equipping the Libyan Coast Guard for a good while now but you have a point, it is also important that the Government doesn’t control the whole country

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                    • #25
                      Originally posted by Sparky42 View Post
                      According to the Indo article, Eithne was due to go back to the Med at the "end of the month"
                      https://www.independent.ie/irish-new...-37958639.html
                      What effect will this decision have on the MRV plans?
                      Covid 19 is not over ....it's still very real..Hand Hygiene, Social Distancing and Masks.. keep safe

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                      • #26
                        Originally posted by hptmurphy View Post
                        What effect will this decision have on the MRV plans?
                        Doubt it will

                        There are and will be other missions

                        Op Pontus/Op Sophia proved it is required and the NS is capable

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                        • #27
                          Originally posted by hptmurphy View Post
                          What effect will this decision have on the MRV plans?
                          I'm not sure how it could given that the MRV is for much longer than the operation would have been going on, though as said hopefully the few years doing this will support the need for a Multi role ship.

                          The greater question is has there been anymore word on whether the NS might look to UNFIL or Atlanta operations?

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                          • #28
                            Originally posted by Sparky42 View Post
                            I'm not sure how it could given that the MRV is for much longer than the operation would have been going on, though as said hopefully the few years doing this will support the need for a Multi role ship.

                            The greater question is has there been anymore word on whether the NS might look to UNFIL or Atlanta operations?
                            The Department of Foreign Affairs through its IRISH AID program , sees urgent need to provide humanitarian aid in East Africa, and has provided for rapid response personnel on the ground ( 6) to assist their aid program. They spend more than 100 million Euro on providing aid. A ship is a huge source of immediate aid with boats, personnel, first aiders, technicians, ability to provide water and a sustained presence. The Brits used to be first up with a ship and helicopters , I think the Indians may currently be doing that job . It provides International standing for participants and goodwill towards nations visibly providing aid.

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                            • #29
                              The closing of the mission getting some attention from the Irish Times today:

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                              • #30
                                Originally posted by Sparky42 View Post
                                The closing of the mission getting some attention from the Irish Times today:
                                https://www.irishtimes.com/news/irel...phia-1.3845980
                                Service involvement in missions is always pro-active and fairly immediate in response, such as saving lives or allowing indigenous people get on with theirs. Politicians operate to expedients and self interest at a personal level and to National interests. It is unfortunate that the lead country in Op. Sophia was left carrying an unsustainable burden. However overall it is an EU mission and it's not over until it's over.

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