The Italian Prime Minister, Paolo Gentiloni, said that Operation Sofia personnel were able to identify 130 human traffickers in Libya.

Gentiloni said in a statement quoted by the Italian newspaper La Republica on Sunday that Operation Sofia has saved approximately six hundred immigrant boats.

He stressed that Italy has achieved exceptional results against “slavery” and guaranteed the humanitarian conditions of those who were in Libya, expressing his pride that his country is “the most generous in supporting immigrants”.

The launch of Operation Sofia came in June 2015 after the disappearance of 800 illegal migrants who had drowned in the sea off the coast of Libya as they attempted to reach Europe via the Italian beaches.

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