Italian fishing boats seized by Libya ‘returning home’

Italy’s prime minister has said that two Italian fishing vessels seized by Libyan forces earlier this week are returning home. The self-styled Libyan National Army had announced it had seized the vessels in Libyan territorial waters and brought them to the port of Ras al-Hilal, AP reports. Premier Giuseppe Conte tweeted on Friday that the boats “are returning to Italy.” He wrote: “Our citizens can finally come home. We never left them alone and we worked constantly to resolve the situation.” The army, headed by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, is loyal to the government that controls much of eastern Libya. The country is a former colony of Italy, and Rome has tried to work with Libyan leaders including Haftar to restore stability and stem the flow of migrants through the North African country.