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The Latest: Libya calls for EU aid to cope with migrants

Emma Butterfleld, doctor at Proactiva Open Arms NGO, comforts Ahmat Arbab Hamat, 22, from Sudan, as he arrives sick at the Golfo Azzurro rescue vessel, after being rescued in the Mediterranean Sea, 13 miles north of Sabratha, Libya, on Tuesday, June 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) Emma Butterfleld, doctor at Proactiva Open Arms NGO, comforts Ahmat Arbab Hamat, 22, from Sudan, as he arrives sick at the Golfo Azzurro rescue vessel, after being rescued in the Mediterranean Sea, 13 miles north of Sabratha, Libya, on Tuesday, June 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

By Associated Press June 21, 2017 3 min read

VATICAN CITY (AP) – The Latest on European migration issues (all times local):

5 p.m.

The leader of Libya’s unity government is appealing for European Union funds to help cope with thousands of migrants flooding into his conflict-ravaged country in hope of reaching Europe.

Fayez Sarraj said in Brussels on Thursday that “as the number of migrants rises, the economic and social fabric of southern Libya is placed under very significant strain.”

He said Libya has some 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) of southern borderline and “doesn’t have the resources to manage significant flows of people.”