About 115 people are missing and feared to have drowned and another 134 were rescued by Libyan coast guards and local fishermen after a wooden boat carrying migrants capsized off Libya, a Libyan navy official said on Thursday.

Earlier, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said that up to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/at-least-150-people-feared-dead-in-shipwreck-off-libya-unhcr-238504">150 people were feared dead</a>.

"The worst Mediterranean tragedy of this year has just occurred," UNHCR head Filippo Grandi said in a tweet.

There were about 250 people on board, mainly from Eritrea and other sub-Saharan Africa and Arab countries, when the boat capsized off the coast near Komas, east of the capital Tripoli, Libyan navy spokesman Ayoub Qassem said.

Watch Video:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/libya-shipwreck-survivor-recounts-tragedy-238602/embed" width="560" height="350" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" autoplay=1 allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

Libya is a hub for migrants and refugees, many of whom try to reach Europe in unseaworthy boats.

The latest shipwreck takes the death toll of Mediterranean migrants to over 600 this year, putting 2019 on track to be the sixth year in a row with more than 1,000 deaths, UNHCR spokesman Charlie Yaxley said.

"Until we address the reasons why people take these dangerous boat journeys, sadly, this is unlikely to be the last tragedy like this that we see," he said.

Yaxley said survivors of the wreck were likely to be brought to two detention centres in Libya where they would face further risks, and he called for their immediate release.

"We know that inside these detention centres there's insufficient food, water, often unsanitary conditions, there have been widespread reports of human rights violations taking place," he said.

Libya says the migrants are illegally entering and leaving the country. It regularly detains them in centres that the UN says are effectively jails, exposing them to the added risk of being caught up in the country's civil war.

One detention centre in Tripoli was hit by an air strike earlier this month, killing more than 50 people. UNHCR subsequently said it had been closed, but rescued migrants have continued to be sent there.

Human rights activists have accused politicians in the European Union of turning a blind eye and letting people die rather than risk a voter backlash by appearing soft on immigration. Europe struggled to cope with an influx of more than one million refugees and migrants in 2015.

Italy, many African migrants' intended first destination, has taken a tough line since a populist government took office in 2018, and immediately sought to close the nation's ports to rescued migrants.

About 115 people are missing and feared to have drowned and another 134 were rescued by Libyan coast guards and local fishermen after a wooden boat carrying migrants capsized off Libya, a Libyan navy official said on Thursday.

About 115 people are missing and feared to have drowned and another 134 were rescued by Libyan coast guards and local fishermen after a wooden boat carrying migrants capsized off Libya, a Libyan navy official said on Thursday. Earlier, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said that up to 150 people were feared dead. "The worst Mediterranean tragedy of this year has just occurred," UNHCR head Filippo Grandi said in a tweet. There were about 250 people on board, mainly from Eritrea and other sub-Saharan Africa and Arab countries, when the boat capsized off the coast near Komas, east of the capital Tripoli, Libyan navy spokesman Ayoub Qassem said. Watch Video: Libya is a hub for migrants and refugees, many of whom try to reach Europe in unseaworthy boats. The latest shipwreck takes the death toll of Mediterranean migrants to over 600 this year, putting 2019 on track to be the sixth year in a row with more than 1,000 deaths, UNHCR spokesman Charlie Yaxley said. "Until we address the reasons why people take these dangerous boat journeys, sadly, this is unlikely to be the last tragedy like this that we see," he said. Yaxley said survivors of the wreck were likely to be brought to two detention centres in Libya where they would face further risks, and he called for their immediate release. "We know that inside these detention centres there's insufficient food, water, often unsanitary conditions, there have been widespread reports of human rights violations taking place," he said. Libya says the migrants are illegally entering and leaving the country. It regularly detains them in centres that the UN says are effectively jails, exposing them to the added risk of being caught up in the country's civil war. One detention centre in Tripoli was hit by an air strike earlier this month, killing more than 50 people. UNHCR subsequently said it had been closed, but rescued migrants have continued to be sent there. Human rights activists have accused politicians in the European Union of turning a blind eye and letting people die rather than risk a voter backlash by appearing soft on immigration. Europe struggled to cope with an influx of more than one million refugees and migrants in 2015. Italy, many African migrants' intended first destination, has taken a tough line since a populist government took office in 2018, and immediately sought to close the nation's ports to rescued migrants.

115 people feared drowned, 134 rescued after migrant boat capsize: Libya Navy

Eritrea's foreign minister on Saturday called for sanctions against his country to be lifted as a result of the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/long-separated-by-war-ethiopians-and-eritreans-reunite-154994">peace deal with Ethiopia</a> and demanded compensation for the economic hardship.

Two months after the peace deal was signed, the UN Security Council has not moved to lift the arms embargo and targeted sanctions imposed on Eritrea in 2009 for its alleged support to armed groups in Somalia, which Asmara denies.

"The sanctions imposed on Eritrea for the last nine years have entailed considerable economic damage to the country and unnecessary hardships on its people," Foreign Minister Osman Mohammed Saleh told the UN General Assembly.&nbsp;

Eritreans "are not only calling for the imminent rescinding of sanctions, they are asking and deserve amends for the damage incurred and opportunities forfeited," he added.

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki signed a declaration of peace in July that formally ended two decades of hostility.

Eritrea gained its independence from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, and war broke out later that decade over a border dispute.&nbsp;

A 2002 UN-backed boundary demarcation was meant to settle the dispute for good, but Ethiopia refused to abide by it.

A turnaround began in June when Abiy announced that Ethiopia would hand back to Eritrea disputed areas including the flashpoint town of Badme where the first shots of the border war were fired.

Addressing the world body, the Eritrean foreign minister said the peace deal would now allow both countries to channel their resources into much-needed economic development.

Slamming the "unwarranted sanctions," Saleh accused countries at the Security Council of resorting to procedural measures to block a lifting a sanctions.

He did not name the countries but diplomats said the United States, backed by Britain and France, wanted Eritrea to show progress on human rights as a condition for ending sanctions.

Human rights groups say Eritrea's record on free speech and press freedom ranks among one of the worst in the world. 
The foreign minister said it was "astounding" that countries wanted to prolong sanctions "in light of the widely acclaimed peace."

In his address to the assembly on Thursday, Ethiopia's Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu also called on the Security Council to "now seriously" consider lifting sanctions on Eritrea.

The Security Council is due to review sanctions on Eritrea in November.

Eritrea's foreign minister on Saturday called for sanctions against his country to be lifted as a result of the peace deal with Ethiopia and demanded compensation for the economic hardship.

Eritrea's foreign minister on Saturday called for sanctions against his country to be lifted as a result of the peace deal with Ethiopia and demanded compensation for the economic hardship. Two months after the peace deal was signed, the UN Security Council has not moved to lift the arms embargo and targeted sanctions imposed on Eritrea in 2009 for its alleged support to armed groups in Somalia, which Asmara denies. "The sanctions imposed on Eritrea for the last nine years have entailed considerable economic damage to the country and unnecessary hardships on its people," Foreign Minister Osman Mohammed Saleh told the UN General Assembly. Eritreans "are not only calling for the imminent rescinding of sanctions, they are asking and deserve amends for the damage incurred and opportunities forfeited," he added. Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki signed a declaration of peace in July that formally ended two decades of hostility. Eritrea gained its independence from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, and war broke out later that decade over a border dispute. A 2002 UN-backed boundary demarcation was meant to settle the dispute for good, but Ethiopia refused to abide by it. A turnaround began in June when Abiy announced that Ethiopia would hand back to Eritrea disputed areas including the flashpoint town of Badme where the first shots of the border war were fired. Addressing the world body, the Eritrean foreign minister said the peace deal would now allow both countries to channel their resources into much-needed economic development. Slamming the "unwarranted sanctions," Saleh accused countries at the Security Council of resorting to procedural measures to block a lifting a sanctions. He did not name the countries but diplomats said the United States, backed by Britain and France, wanted Eritrea to show progress on human rights as a condition for ending sanctions. Human rights groups say Eritrea's record on free speech and press freedom ranks among one of the worst in the world. The foreign minister said it was "astounding" that countries wanted to prolong sanctions "in light of the widely acclaimed peace." In his address to the assembly on Thursday, Ethiopia's Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu also called on the Security Council to "now seriously" consider lifting sanctions on Eritrea. The Security Council is due to review sanctions on Eritrea in November.

Eritrea at UN demands compensation for sanctions

Israel has started handing out notices to 20,000 male African migrants giving them two months to leave the country or risk being thrown in jail.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#39;s government is offering the migrants, most of whom are from Sudan and Eritrea, $3,500 and a plane ticket to what it says is a safe destination in another country in sub-Saharan Africa.

The fate of some 37,000 Africans in Israel is posing a moral dilemma for a state founded as haven for Jews from persecution and a national home. The right-wing government is under pressure from its nationalist voter base to expel the migrants, while others are calling for them to be taken in.

The government says the migrants are &quot;infiltrators&quot; looking for work rather than asylum, but there is a growing liberal backlash against the plan, including from rabbis, a small group of survivors of the Nazi Holocaust and ordinary people who say Israel should show greater compassion to the migrants.

The first eviction notices were handed out on Sunday and job advertisements for immigration inspectors to implement the deportation plan have been posted on government websites.

Rights groups advocating on behalf of the migrants say many fled abuse and war and their expulsion, even to a different country in Africa, would endanger them further.

&quot;I don&#39;t know what to do. Rwanda, Uganda are not my countries, what will a third country help me?&quot; said Eritrean Berihu Ainom, after receiving an eviction notice on Sunday.

The deportation notices do not name the country migrants will be flown to but Netanyahu has said it will be a safe destination. Rights groups have named Uganda and Rwanda as possible host countries.

In a poor neighbourhood in the south of Tel Aviv that has attracted thousands of African migrants, shops are dotted with signs in Tigrinya and other African languages while abandoned warehouses have been converted into churches.

&quot;I came to Israel to save my life,&quot; said Eritrean Afoworki Kidane, sitting on a street bench.

He said he would rather go to jail than take the cash and plane ticket on offer to leave the country that has been his home for nine years.

Backlash building

Interior Minister Aryeh Deri said Israel&#39;s first obligation was to its own citizens, rather than the migrants.

&quot;They are not numbers, they are people, they are human and I am full of compassion and mercy,&quot; Deri told Army Radio. &quot;But the small state of Israel cannot contain such a vast number of illegal infiltrators.&quot;

But opposition to the plan has been building and some Israelis are now offering to take migrants at risk of expulsion into their homes.

On Thursday, a group of 36 Holocaust survivors sent a letter to Netanyahu asking him not to deport the migrants. The US-based Anti Defamation League has also urged Israel to reconsider the plan, citing &quot;Jewish values and refugee heritage&quot;.

Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, chairman of the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and a Holocaust survivor, said in a statement the issue required &quot;as much compassion, empathy and mercy that can possibly be marshalled. The experiences of the Jewish people over the ages underscore this commitment.&quot;

Rabbi Susan Silverman has launched a campaign called Miklat Israel (Israel Shelter) for Israelis to take migrants into their homes.

&quot;It&#39;s unconscionable for the Jewish state to deport people to harrowing vulnerability,&quot; she said.

Miklat Israel&#39;s Rabbi Tamara Schagas said 600 Israeli families had already signed up and the organisation would begin to connect migrants with potential hosts this week.

Moral compass

The Supreme Court ruled in August that Israeli authorities can hold illegal migrants for up to 60 days in custody.

Immigration officials have said women, children and men with families in Israel were allowed to stay for now, as was anyone with outstanding asylum requests.

Out of 6,800 requests reviewed so far, Israel has granted refugee status to 11 migrants. It has at least 8,000 more requests to process.

Israeli authorities have said Israeli officials will keep in touch with migrants accepted in a third country to oversee their progress. Rwanda has said it will only accept migrants who have left Israel of their own free will.

Nonetheless, the UN&#39;s refugee agency has urged Israel to reconsider, saying migrants who have relocated to sub-Saharan Africa in the past few years were unsafe and ended up on the perilous migrant trail to Europe, some suffering abuse, torture and even perishing on the way.

Rights groups in Israel say the government is simply ridding itself of people it should be recognising as refugees in Israel and that there was no real guarantee for their safety.

A fence Israel has built over the past few years along its border with Egypt has all but stopped African migrants from entering the country illegally. Beginning in the previous decade, when the border was porous, a total of 64,000 Africans made it to Israel though thousands have since left.

Emmanuel Asfaha from Eritrea crossed into Israel in 2011 with his wife and baby son. His second child was born in Israel.

A narrow grocery store stockroom stacked with bags of flour leads to their two-room apartment in Tel Aviv, a poster of Jesus hanging on the cracked walls above his son&#39;s bed. Asfaha is concerned Israel will eventually deport families too.

&quot;I am worried about the situation,&quot; he said while cooking Shiro, a traditional stew. &quot;Tomorrow it will be for me also.&quot;

A few kilometres away, in a hip, upscale part of Tel Aviv, Ben Yefet, a 39-year-old stockbroker, said he had signed up with Miklat Israel to house two or three migrants in his two-room apartment.

&quot;As Israelis and Jews we are obligated. We have a moral compass, we just have to do it,&quot; he said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is offering the migrants, most of whom are from Sudan and Eritrea, $3,500 and a plane ticket

Israel has started handing out notices to 20,000 male African migrants giving them two months to leave the country or risk being thrown in jail. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is offering the migrants, most of whom are from Sudan and Eritrea, $3,500 and a plane ticket to what it says is a safe destination in another country in sub-Saharan Africa. The fate of some 37,000 Africans in Israel is posing a moral dilemma for a state founded as haven for Jews from persecution and a national home. The right-wing government is under pressure from its nationalist voter base to expel the migrants, while others are calling for them to be taken in. The government says the migrants are "infiltrators" looking for work rather than asylum, but there is a growing liberal backlash against the plan, including from rabbis, a small group of survivors of the Nazi Holocaust and ordinary people who say Israel should show greater compassion to the migrants. The first eviction notices were handed out on Sunday and job advertisements for immigration inspectors to implement the deportation plan have been posted on government websites. Rights groups advocating on behalf of the migrants say many fled abuse and war and their expulsion, even to a different country in Africa, would endanger them further. "I don't know what to do. Rwanda, Uganda are not my countries, what will a third country help me?" said Eritrean Berihu Ainom, after receiving an eviction notice on Sunday. The deportation notices do not name the country migrants will be flown to but Netanyahu has said it will be a safe destination. Rights groups have named Uganda and Rwanda as possible host countries. In a poor neighbourhood in the south of Tel Aviv that has attracted thousands of African migrants, shops are dotted with signs in Tigrinya and other African languages while abandoned warehouses have been converted into churches. "I came to Israel to save my life," said Eritrean Afoworki Kidane, sitting on a street bench. He said he would rather go to jail than take the cash and plane ticket on offer to leave the country that has been his home for nine years. Backlash building Interior Minister Aryeh Deri said Israel's first obligation was to its own citizens, rather than the migrants. "They are not numbers, they are people, they are human and I am full of compassion and mercy," Deri told Army Radio. "But the small state of Israel cannot contain such a vast number of illegal infiltrators." But opposition to the plan has been building and some Israelis are now offering to take migrants at risk of expulsion into their homes. On Thursday, a group of 36 Holocaust survivors sent a letter to Netanyahu asking him not to deport the migrants. The US-based Anti Defamation League has also urged Israel to reconsider the plan, citing "Jewish values and refugee heritage". Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, chairman of the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and a Holocaust survivor, said in a statement the issue required "as much compassion, empathy and mercy that can possibly be marshalled. The experiences of the Jewish people over the ages underscore this commitment." Rabbi Susan Silverman has launched a campaign called Miklat Israel (Israel Shelter) for Israelis to take migrants into their homes. "It's unconscionable for the Jewish state to deport people to harrowing vulnerability," she said. Miklat Israel's Rabbi Tamara Schagas said 600 Israeli families had already signed up and the organisation would begin to connect migrants with potential hosts this week. Moral compass The Supreme Court ruled in August that Israeli authorities can hold illegal migrants for up to 60 days in custody. Immigration officials have said women, children and men with families in Israel were allowed to stay for now, as was anyone with outstanding asylum requests. Out of 6,800 requests reviewed so far, Israel has granted refugee status to 11 migrants. It has at least 8,000 more requests to process. Israeli authorities have said Israeli officials will keep in touch with migrants accepted in a third country to oversee their progress. Rwanda has said it will only accept migrants who have left Israel of their own free will. Nonetheless, the UN's refugee agency has urged Israel to reconsider, saying migrants who have relocated to sub-Saharan Africa in the past few years were unsafe and ended up on the perilous migrant trail to Europe, some suffering abuse, torture and even perishing on the way. Rights groups in Israel say the government is simply ridding itself of people it should be recognising as refugees in Israel and that there was no real guarantee for their safety. A fence Israel has built over the past few years along its border with Egypt has all but stopped African migrants from entering the country illegally. Beginning in the previous decade, when the border was porous, a total of 64,000 Africans made it to Israel though thousands have since left. Emmanuel Asfaha from Eritrea crossed into Israel in 2011 with his wife and baby son. His second child was born in Israel. A narrow grocery store stockroom stacked with bags of flour leads to their two-room apartment in Tel Aviv, a poster of Jesus hanging on the cracked walls above his son's bed. Asfaha is concerned Israel will eventually deport families too. "I am worried about the situation," he said while cooking Shiro, a traditional stew. "Tomorrow it will be for me also." A few kilometres away, in a hip, upscale part of Tel Aviv, Ben Yefet, a 39-year-old stockbroker, said he had signed up with Miklat Israel to house two or three migrants in his two-room apartment. "As Israelis and Jews we are obligated. We have a moral compass, we just have to do it," he said.

Cash or custody: Israel begins deporting African migrants

At least five people were shot and dozens were left injured during a mass brawl between 100 Eritreans and about 30 Afghans in the French port city of Calais.&nbsp;

The brawl happened between rival gangs of migrants from Afghanistan and Eritrea &ldquo;armed with sticks and stones&rdquo; near Calais Hospital on Thursday afternoon.&nbsp;

Four Eritrean youths aged 16-18 who were shot during the brawl are in a critical condition and have been rushed to a local hospital for surgery. The fifth man was taken to Lille as he suffered severe injuries.&nbsp;

As per reports, at least 13 others have been wounded after they were beaten up with iron bars.&nbsp;

The fight, which lasted almost two hours, reportedly began when an Afghan migrant fired shots. Soon after, over a 100 Eritreans charged over 20 Afghans in a town called Marck.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Police intervened to protect the Afghan migrants faced with 150 to 200 Eritrean migrants,&rdquo; the local prefecture said, adding that security reinforcements were being deployed in the area.

The clashes come as tension continues to surround Calais, which remains home to hundreds of migrants despite the closure of the infamous Jungle camp in October 2016.

The notorious Jungle camp in Calais, once home to some 10,000 people hoping to make it to Britain, was demolished in 2016, but hundreds of migrants remain in the port city seeking to stow away on England-bound trucks.

A judicial source equated Thursday&rsquo;s unrest with that 2015 when the camp was created.

Those left in the area, most of them young Africans and Afghan men, have been living rough in the woods and clash regularly with police, who clear their encampments and stop them from setting up roadblocks in a bid to slow passing trucks.

Grim living conditions have led to regular confrontations between migrants of different nationalities, and five people were shot in a fight between rival Afghan groups last November.

French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb tweeted he would be heading to the area by helicopter and could stay overnight.

&ldquo;After today&rsquo;s serious incidents I shall be heading for Calais tonight to take stock of the situation with the perfect, the mayor and local players,&rdquo; including police, Collomb tweeted.

The brawl happened between rival gangs of migrants from Afghanistan and Eritrea “armed with sticks and stones” near Calais Hospital on Thursday afternoon

At least five people were shot and dozens were left injured during a mass brawl between 100 Eritreans and about 30 Afghans in the French port city of Calais. The brawl happened between rival gangs of migrants from Afghanistan and Eritrea “armed with sticks and stones” near Calais Hospital on Thursday afternoon. Four Eritrean youths aged 16-18 who were shot during the brawl are in a critical condition and have been rushed to a local hospital for surgery. The fifth man was taken to Lille as he suffered severe injuries. As per reports, at least 13 others have been wounded after they were beaten up with iron bars. The fight, which lasted almost two hours, reportedly began when an Afghan migrant fired shots. Soon after, over a 100 Eritreans charged over 20 Afghans in a town called Marck. “Police intervened to protect the Afghan migrants faced with 150 to 200 Eritrean migrants,” the local prefecture said, adding that security reinforcements were being deployed in the area. The clashes come as tension continues to surround Calais, which remains home to hundreds of migrants despite the closure of the infamous Jungle camp in October 2016. The notorious Jungle camp in Calais, once home to some 10,000 people hoping to make it to Britain, was demolished in 2016, but hundreds of migrants remain in the port city seeking to stow away on England-bound trucks. A judicial source equated Thursday’s unrest with that 2015 when the camp was created. Those left in the area, most of them young Africans and Afghan men, have been living rough in the woods and clash regularly with police, who clear their encampments and stop them from setting up roadblocks in a bid to slow passing trucks. Grim living conditions have led to regular confrontations between migrants of different nationalities, and five people were shot in a fight between rival Afghan groups last November. French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb tweeted he would be heading to the area by helicopter and could stay overnight. “After today’s serious incidents I shall be heading for Calais tonight to take stock of the situation with the perfect, the mayor and local players,” including police, Collomb tweeted.

France: Eritreans, Afghans brawl in Calais, several injured

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