Actions
Direct Involvement
Killing by DrowningRefoulement by ProxyInvisibilization; Systematic Opacity & Obfuscation
Gafa is said to have played a key role in negotiating a secret agreement between the Maltese military and the Libyan Coast Guard on coordinating to intercept refugees (See: Malta Report, Chapter IV: Malta-Libya Deal).
Direct Involvement
Refoulement by ProxyInformation Sharing & Collecting
Gafa admitted to having been in direct contact with the Libyan coastguard in his role as covert liaison between the Maltese government and Libyan authorities, saying “I used to receive information of boats departing from Libya and their coordinates from the Armed Forces of Malta and would relay this directly to the Libyan coastguard. (…) These were operations that would last for hours on end. I would be calling every 15 minutes, relaying new coordinates and tapping different contacts in the Libyan coastguard."
Gafa also met with senior Libyan figures, including the Libyan militia leader Haithem Tajouri (See: Malta Report, Chapter IV: Malta-Libya Deal). Gafa quote:: “I met Mr Tajouri more than once, just like the French and Italian authorities met him. I also met other militia leaders."