Human trafficking

Operation Sophia commander: 'We've been effective in deterring traffickers'

DW is on board a German navy ship taking part in Operation Sophia, aimed at stopping illegal migration across the Mediterranean. In an exclusive interview, the mission's force commander shares his views.

....You can read numbers from different perspectives. We have been very effective in creating a very clear deterrence against traffickers. Their presence in international waters has been completely stopped. They are now able to operate from the shore itself and from inside territorial waters. That is why it is very important for us to be authorized in the future to shift into phase two and then phase three.

So you would welcome a move where the force would be allowed to enter Libya's territorial waters?

The overall design of the operation sees us being authorized to operate inside territorial waters in the future and that would be crucial for us, because we would then be able to control the movement of the smugglers and prevent them from being active at sea. The third phase will see us being able to fight them directly ashore.