Departures of migrant-laden boats to Italy from Sabratha, formerly Libya's biggest people-smuggling hub, have slowed to a trickle thanks to a security crackdown triggered by European pressure that ejected the city's top smuggler.
But the local branch of Libya's coast guard feels neglected. It says it is still starved for resources, unable to run its own patrols with only one broken-down boat, one car and no uniforms.
Sabratha, 75 km (47 miles) west of Tripoli, where people smugglers exploited gang lawlessness for years, was the main launchpad on Libya's Mediterranean coast for Italy-bound migrants, with the flow peaking in 2016 and early 2017.
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