The Libyan coastguard on Thursday fired on three Italian fishing boats, injuring the captain of one of the vessels, Italian authorities said. The boats operating out of the Sicilian port of Mazara del Vallo were fishing some 30 to 40 nautical miles off the Libyan coastal town of Misrata when a Libyan coastguard vessel fired warning shots against them. There have been frequent tensions between Italy and Libya over Italian fishing activity off the North African coast. Last September a group of Italian sailors were seized by Libyan patrol boats while fishing in the Mediterranean, accused by local authorities of operating in Libya's territorial waters. The southern Mediterranean fishing grounds have been disputed since 2005, when Libya's then ruler, Muammar Gaddafi, unilaterally extended Libyan territorial waters to 74 nautical miles offshore from 12.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 06, 2021 18:00 UTC