Libya Warns It Could Flood Europe with Migrants If EU Does Not Recognise New Islamist Government

130 illegal immigrants who were intercepted by Libyan
coastguards off Tripoli coast

THE TELEGRAPH: Islamists who took power in Tripoli issue veiled threat in response to West's refusal to accept their legitimacy

Libya has issued a veiled threat to send "hundreds of thousands" of extra migrants to Europe if Brussels does not give official recognition to its self-declared Islamist government.

Officials say they could hire boats to send large numbers of African migrants across the Mediterranean, massively adding to the numbers already reaching Europe's borders.

The warning was made by a spokesman for Libya's General National Congress in an interview with The Telegraph in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

The Congress took control of Tripoli last year after fighting against forces loyal to the internationally- recognised House of Representatives government, and is not recognised by the European Union as Libya's legitimate government. A fortnight ago, both factions also rejected the terms of a United Nations-brokered peace deal. » | Colin Freeman, Chief Foreign Correspondent in Tripoli | Monday, November 2, 2015