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Libya’s pleas for Italian help unlikely to solve migration issue

The Libyan plea to Italy to help counter the migration flow may not bring in the desired results, as the former colonial power has its own interests to serve during this election year.
Migrants ride in a boat after they were rescued by Libyan coastguard off the coast of Gharaboli, east of Tripoli, Libya July 8, 2017. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny      TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX3AMD9
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MILAN, Italy — In attempts to face down the myriad militias in the fractured country that is modern Libya, the UN-recognized government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj is looking to partner with one of its former colonial occupiers: Italy.

The Sarraj-led government has communicated with Italian authorities in an attempt to counter human smugglers, but the fragile government is being forced to walk a very fine line between accepting much-needed international assistance and upsetting its population.

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