On April 13, 2026, the German NGO Sea-Watch announced, through a statement published on its official website, that it had filed two criminal complaints, one in Germany and one in Italy, against the Libyan coast guard regarding the events that took place on the night of 26 September 2025. 

According to the organization, the patrol boat Ubari 660, belonging to the Libyan coast guard and provided by the Italian Government in 2018, allegedly obstructed the search and rescue operations conducted by the crew of the Sea-watch 5 in international waters. After repeatedly demanding via radio the operation to stop, the militia approached the rescue ship while carrying out “dangerous manoeuvres in close proximity” that endangered both the crew and the 66 rescued people. Subsequently, a gunshot was allegedly fired towards the civilian boat, without harming people on board but prompting the captain to issue a Mayday call. Only after the arrival of the Eagle 2 aircraft operated by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), the patrol boat allegedly ended the pursuit and withdrew. 

In a previous press release concerning the incident, the NGO had also reported that two masked individuals had refused assistance from the crew during the rescue operation and left on their own. According to the organization, this circumstance led the crew to suspect a possible link between those men and the Libyan militias affiliated with the Libyan State. 

Similar accounts had already been published in August 2025 by the NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans, based on the first-hand testimonies gathered during several rescue operations. 

Likewise, the final report of the Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Libya, established by the Human Rights Council resolution 43/39, identified plausible links between some members of the Libyan authorities and networks of traffickers and smugglers, involved in activities of interception of migrants at sea. 

In this framework, severe allegations were filed against the Libyan coast guard by Sea-Watch, including piracy. In the press release, the organization characterizes the reported conduct as potential acts of piracy, referring to the definition provided by Art.101 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Furthermore, the NGO recalls the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the safety of maritime navigation, incorporated into the Italian national legal system through the Law 422/1989, which criminalizes any person who unlawfully attempts to exercise control over a ship by force or endangers its safety. 

Sea-Watch, therefore, called on the Italian and German authorities to investigate the case and to hold those responsible accountable. The organization heavily criticized the political and material support provided by the Italian government to the Libyan coast guard and, more broadly, the cooperation between the European Union and the Libyan authorities in the management of migration across the Central Mediterranean. 

At the time of writing, no public updates regarding the criminal complaints filed by the rescue organization have been reported.