SOS Mediterranee Takes Libyan Coast Guard to French Court After Rescue Ship Fired Upon

The humanitarian organization SOS Mediterranee, along with seven crew members of its French-flagged vessel, the Ocean Viking, has filed a criminal complaint in France, accusing unnamed individuals of attempted murder. This legal action follows a severe incident where the ship came under intense gunfire while rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean Sea.
The incident is considered one of the most serious confrontations involving rescue vessels in recent years, underscoring escalating tensions between humanitarian groups and the Libyan Coast Guard over search and rescue zones and the management of migrant boats.
In a statement, the NGO specified that the attack took place on 24 August in international waters off the Libyan coast. It reported that more than 100 rounds were fired at the ship, which was carrying 34 crew members and 87 rescued refugees. While no one was physically injured, the assault caused extreme panic among the passengers and the crew.
This complaint, lodged with the prosecutor’s office in Marseille, where the organization is headquartered, aims to complement an initial filing made on 5 September with the Syracuse prosecutor in Sicily, Italy. According to the organization’s statement, the central objective is to identify those responsible for the attack and hold the Libyan Coast Guard command accountable for the orders issued during the incident.
The French NGO also called for a transparent and independent investigation into the events, insisting on the accountability of the perpetrators and all those who support or are behind them. Furthermore, it pressed the judiciary to look into the potential involvement of European states and institutions in the funding, training, and armament of the Libyan Coast Guard forces.
In this context, Marie Geoffroy, the lawyer representing the seven French crew members, emphasized that filing a complaint against persons unknown is a vital step to determine the criminal responsibility of institutions that provided material support to the Libyan Coast Guard, enabling it to carry out such an attack. The lawyer noted that the patrol boat carrying the shooters was supplied to the Libyan Coast Guard under an EU-funded program, despite the Coast Guard’s documented acts of violence against NGOs involved in maritime rescue.
It is relevant to note that since 2017, Italy, with the backing of the European Union, permitted Tripoli to take over the coordination of rescue operations in the central Mediterranean, a role previously held by Rome or Valletta in Malta. Following the implementation of this agreement, Libya’s authority extended beyond merely intercepting migrant boats launched from its shores; it also began receiving financial and logistical support from the European Union.