TRIPOLI, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The Libyan navy on Tuesday accused illegal immigrants rescued by the Coast Guard of taking over the rescue ship by force.
"On March 27, so-called immigrants took over a ship sent by the Coast Guard to rescue them inside Libyan territorial waters," the navy's information office said in a statement.
"This is a clear violation of the Libyan sovereignty and all international laws and legislation. No description or reason justifies this act," the statement added.
The Libyan navy called on the United Nations and the EU to pressure neighboring countries to "close their borders in the face of illegal immigrants and speed up their repatriation."
Libya is a preferred point of departure for illegal immigrants wanting to cross the Mediterranean toward Europe because of the insecurity and chaos in the North African country.
Improved weather conditions increase the flows of immigrants, particularly off the country's western coast.
