Smuggler sentenced as more migrants leave Libya

The Assize Court in Agrigento, Italy, has sentenced Somali national Mouhamud Elmi Muhidin to 30 years in prison for his part in the brutal Mediterranean migrant smuggling trade.

After charging migrants - mostly Eritreans and Somalis - USD3,000 for their passage to Europe, Muhidin and his gang abused some of them, extorted another USD1,000 from their victims at the beachhead in Libya, then forced them at gunpoint on to rubber dinghies. The migrants' desperate search for a better life turned to disaster as the boats sank. In all, 366 of Muhidin's passengers died en route to the Italian island of Lampedusa in October 2013.

On reaching Lampedusa, Muhidin tried to pass himself off as an ordinary migrant but was recognised by survivors who threatened to lynch him, according to Radio France Internationale (RFI). In testimony, some of the victims of Somali piracy and Muhidin's 'customers' told police that the 30-year-old had kidnapped them, tortured some with electric shocks, and raped 20 women.

RFI quoted Agrimento prosecutor Renato di Natale as saying, "This is a chilling illustration of the reality of smuggling organisations."

Muhidin's arrest and tough sentence have not deterred the smuggling gangs. On Sunday, reports reached the Italian Coast Guard (ICG) that 12 migrant boats had left the Libyan coast. To intercept them, the ICG co-ordinated a rescue effort involving merchant ships, several ICG and Maltese patrol boats, and a naval vessel.