The European Union is seeking clarification from Libya after a German rescue organization said one of its vessels came under attack from the Libyan coastguard after rescuing 90 people in the Mediterranean.
The EU delegation in Tripolis will contact Libyan officials and ask them to explain the incident and establish the facts, said a spokesman for the European Commission in Brussels on Tuesday.
He stressed that all parties involved in a search and rescue operation must fully respect international law and international maritime law.
It comes after Sea-Watch, a German civilian rescue group operating in the Mediterranean, said Libyan coastguard forces fired at its Sea-Watch 5 vessel following a rescue operation on Monday.
In an update published on Tuesday, Sea-Watch said the incident took place some 55 nautical miles north of Tripoli in international waters, and that the coastguard "threatened to board the ship and abduct those on board to Libya."
The Foreign Office in Berlin confirmed that the Sea-Watch 5 crew had contacted the German Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre and relevant government departments over the incident.
It said that the German embassy in Tripoli had requested an "immediate explanation" from Libyan authorities.
The European Commission has been funding an Italian-led cooperation with the Libyan coastguard since 2017, spending some €59 million ($69 million), according to previous information.
International rescue organizations including Sea-Watch have repeatedly criticized the EU funding for Libya's coastguard, accusing it of violence against migrants and rescue groups.
After shots were fired at the Ocean Viking vessel operated by SOS Méditerranée last August, leading human rights groups including Doctors without Borders and Amnesty International also called on the EU to stop working with the Libyan coastguard.
