The humanitarian aid group Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Border, has accused Libya’s Coast Guard of thwarting the rescue of over 170 migrants, most of them Syrian refugees, from two vessels stranded in the Mediterranean Sea as they made their way to Europe. MSF said a Libyan Coast Guard ship had “started to perform dangerous manoeuvres,” blocking two rigid inflatable boats used by MSF to rescue the migrants. The Libyan Coast Guard, which is funded by the European Union, also reportedly attempted to tow away one of MSF’s inflatable boats. A number of those on board the migrant vessels were unaccompanied children and children under the age of 13. Just last week, at least 60 people are believed to have drowned in the Mediterranean after departing Libya on a migrant vessel. According to the International Organization for Migration, 2,500 migrants died or went missing in the Mediterranean last year as they attempted to reach Europe. Two hundred deaths have been recorded since the start of 2024.