A member of the Libyan Coast Guard uses a pair of binoculars as he searches for migrants off the coast of Tripoli, Libya, August 9, 2017. REUTERS/Hani Amara
TUNIS/ROME (Reuters) - An armed group is stopping migrant boats from setting off across the Mediterranean from a city west of Tripoli that has been a springboard for people smugglers, causing a sudden drop in departures over the past month, sources in the area said.
The revelation throws new light on the sharp reduction in migrant arrivals from Italy, which took over from the Aegean route as the main focus of European concerns in the crisis.
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