The seizure of ten vessels in Spain, bound for Benghazi, has exposed a network of trafficking involving Libya, Jordan, the Emirates, and Hong Kong.
This complex web also reveals the role of Operation Irini, Madrid's silence, and Dubai's dual favoritism: supporting its Libyan ally while also aiding Europe in limiting migrant departures.
"I have a position for you."
This statement, recorded on August 2, 2023, by an NGO Sea Watch aircraft, belongs to a pilot from the Maltese Armed Forces engaged in a Frontex operation, the EU agency responsible for external border security, while flying over a fishing boat carrying 250 migrants in the central Mediterranean.
Author's summary: Emirates' involvement in migrant trafficking exposed.