General Khalifa Haftar, a Gadaffi-era military commander who currently leads a military force opposed to the Tripoli government, ordered his troops to repel "any naval vessel that enters national waters without permission from the army," according to the official Facebook page of Haftar's Libyan National Army.



So far in 2017, around 2,230 people have died while undertaking the perilous sea journey from Libya to Europe's shores.



Many of those on board the trafficking boats are fleeing poverty, conflict and political persecution.