Cameron under fire for migrant crisis in Mediterranean
British Prime Minister David Cameron has been accused of being partially responsible for the deaths of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea from conflict-torn Libya.
The leader of opposition Labor Party, Ed Miliband, said on Friday that Cameron has played a role in the refugee crisis as he has failed to help secure peace in the region.
Miliband (pictured below) argued that the situation in Libya could have been avoided if the UK and other Western countries had done more to help rebuild the country following the overthrow of former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
NATO began a military campaign against Libya in March 2011 after the UN Security Council approved a resolution, authorizing force by whatever means necessary, except a ground invasion, to “protect civilians” in Libya.
The campaign and ouster of Gaddafi in August 2011 gave rise to a patchwork of heavily-armed militias and deep political divisions, which plunged the country into chaos.
Miliband said Britain and other EU member states failed to help the establishment of peace after the military campaign forced many people to risk their lives and flee the violence in the North African country.
“David Cameron was wrong to assume that Libya's political culture and institutions could be left to evolve and transform on their own,” said Miliband.
Cameron responded to the accusations saying Miliband’s remarks were “ill-judged.”
This is not the first time that Cameron and his Tory-led government have been criticized over the policy on the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean.
Last October, refugee and human rights organizations condemned Britain over its refusal to support EU search and operations to rescue migrants. UK’s Foreign Office defended its policy at the time, saying that saving refugees encourages others to attempt the sea crossing.
Miliband’s comments come amid a surge in the number of refugees dying while trying to cross the sea to reach Europe’s shorelines. Migrant shipwrecks have claimed over 1,750 lives so far in 2015.
Predictions by aid groups show that if necessary measures are not taken to tackle the crisis, there could be 30,000 deaths at sea this year, with Italy having to process 200,000 migrants reaching the country.
CAH /MKA/HRB
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