Over 200 migrants attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean were feared to have drowned Wednesday after their overcrowded fishing boat capsized off Libya.

Libya, riddled with abandoned weapons dumps from the Gaddafi era, is in the throes of a protracted civil war. The oil-rich country is coming apart at the seams due to conflict which pits the internationally-recognised Council of Deputies against the Tripoli-based rival Islamist government of the General National Congress (GNC).

The air force commander of Libya’s internationally recognised government has warned European countries that any vessels entering Libyan waters without permission would be targeted by air strikes.

Tripoli’s Rada (Deterrence) Force has vowed to use “an iron fist” to counter what it says is a a growing crime wave in the capital. From now on, it said,  it will be punishing criminals, including drug dealers and kidnappers, on the spot instead of taking them to prison.

The EU is set to launch a naval mission on Monday against gangs smuggling migrants from Libya but it will be limited to intelligence-gathering for now because of a lack of U.N. authority or Libyan consent.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Wednesday described as “constructive” her talks in Brussels a day earlier with Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed al-Dayri, Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni and UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.

Ghat, Libya – In the shadow of Ghat’s ancient medina, a small cluster of migrants from West African and Sahel states take refuge under the hilltop fort from the scorching sun. They are searching for work, money, and a ride with people-smugglers across the desert to Libya’s north.

The EU’s border agency Frontex wants military protection from armed migrant smugglers as it expands operations in the Mediterranean and closer to the Libyan coast.

The European Commission is due Wednesday to unveil its latest version of a controversial plan to force EU member states to more evenly absorb the wave of migrants making the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean to Europe.

The European Union’s plan for military intervention to stop the flow of migrants from Libya to Europe has been revealed in documents published by WikiLeaks on Monday.