A political faction in Libya is threatening to send hundreds of thousands of migrants to Europe unless the European Union recognizes it as the country’s legitimate government, the Telegraph reports.
The National Salvation Government, affiliated with Libya’s General National Congress, assumed control of the capital Tripoli last year after battles against the House of Representatives government, which is recognized by the international community. The congress is the political arm of the Libya Dawn coalition, a group of moderate and Islamist militants that helped overthrow Muammar Gaddafi.
Officials with the congress say they are tired of being viewed as illegitimate by Europe while they prevent migrants from sailing to its shores, the Telegraph reports:
Jamal Zubia, the National Salvation Government's foreign media spokesman, told The Telegraph that Libya was currently spending tens of millions of pounds a year stopping migrants from crossing the Mediterranean, through the use of detention centres and repatriation programs.
He said that if Europe continued to refuse to recognise the Congress's authority, the Libyan government could reverse the policy.
"To be honest, I have advised my government many times already that we should hire boats and send them to Europe," he said. "We are protecting the gates of Europe, yet Europe does not recognise us and does not want to recognise us. So why should we stop the migrants here?"
An influx of migrants and refugees from Libya could worsen a crisis in Europe that is already straining social services and sparking unrest:
On Monday, the UN said that in total, more than 218,000 migrants and refugees crossed the Mediterranean to Europe in October - the highest monthly figure on record, and more than during the whole of 2014.
Talks sponsored by the United Nation have so far failed to end the fighting between the two rival factions in Libya.