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The Civil Fleet PodcastAuthor: Ben Cowles
Saving lives at sea is not a crime But for the past few years, European states have treated those brave enough to save refugees from drowning in the Mediterranean as if they were breaking the law. Welcome to The Civil Fleet, a podcast by civilfleet.com that focuses on the NGO refugee rescuers in the central Mediterranean and beyond. Language: en Genres: News, News Commentary, Politics Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Episode 86: What is the Libyan Coastguard?
Thursday, 12 February, 2026
In this episode, we speak with Frey Lindsay, a journalist with the transparency and civil liberties organisation Statewatch. He tells us how the so-called Libyan Coastguard is far from a unified organisation but is, in fact, an amalgamation of groups with different structures and vying allegiances. Frey also tells us about a leaked EU document, obtained by Statewatch recently, that proposes the bloc outsource its SAR operations in the Mediterranean to non-European countries and have them take the rescued to non-EU ports. ---Support The Civil Fleet Podcast--- ko-fi.com/civilfleet ---Get in touch--- Twitter: @FleetCivil Mastodon: @civilfleet@kolektiva.social Bluesky: @thecivilfleet.bsky.social Instagram: thecivilfleet info@civilfleet.com civilfleet.com ---Show notes--- Follow Frey Lindsay on BlueSky: @freylindsay.bsky.social You can read Frey's InfoMigrants article on the Libyan Coastguards here: https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/67224/the-libyan-coast-guard--explained For more on Statewatch, check out: statewatch.org Follow them on Bluesky: @statewatch.bsky.social Check out Statewatch's Outsourcing Borders project: statewatch.org/outsourcing-borders-monitoring-eu-externalisation-policy And sign up to their newsletter here: statewatch.org/outsourcing-borders-monitoring-eu-externalisation-policy/mailing-list/ Frey mentions the Ocean Viking and SOS Mediterranee. For more on them, check out episodes episode 75 and 80 of The Civil Fleet Podcast For more on Libya and the so-called Libya Coastguard, listen to episodes 80, 79, 75, 65m 55, 52, 43, 29, 23, 19, 15, 10, 7 and 1 Frey mentions Lighthouse Reports. Check them out here: lighthousereports.com. And listen to episodes 52 and 34 For more on Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni meeting with Libyan warlord General Khalifa Haftar, see this report from InfoMigrants: https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/48746/italylibya-meloni-meets-haftar-migration-a-priority For more on the TBZ brigade and General Haftar's alleged links to human trafficking, see this report in Spiegal International: https://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/more-like-kidnapping-a-brutal-libyan-militia-helps-europe-keep-migrants-at-bay-a-0c68d2b5-37bd-4267-b98c-8279a059e2bc For more on the EU's plans for an MRCC in eastern Libya, read this Statewatch report: https://www.statewatch.org/news/2026/january/eu-to-increase-lethal-migration-cooperation-with-libya/ For more on the Piantedosi Decree, listen to episodes 84, 71 and 66 Check out this 2018 report on the EU's 'disembarkation platforms' idea: https://www.politico.eu/article/regional-disembarkation-platforms-eu-leaders-consider-camps-outside-bloc-to-process-refugees/ And check out The Civil Fleet's new exclusive story (that Ben mentions at the beginning and end of the episode) here: https://thecivilfleet.wordpress.com/2026/02/06/at-least-14-people-died-in-home-office-asylum-seeker-accommodation-in-first-six-months-of-2025/
