An evacuation plan has been devised by the African Union-European Union at a summit held in Ivory Coast for migrants facing slave auctions in Libyan detention camps.
Libya's UN-backed administration joined the agreement, but has claimed it has no control over the territory in which migrants are being sold, raising questions about how it will carry out the evacuation plan. The migrants will be sent back to their countries according to the agreement made.
The move follows the release of a video footage that appeared to show migrants from sub-Saharan Africa being sold in Libya as slaves.
French President Emmanuel Macron called the slave auctions a "crime against humanity".
The Libyan government launched a formal investigation into migrants being sold as labourers for $400 (£300) after CNN broadcast footage of the slave auctions in November.
Nigeria had already moved to evacuate 240 of its citizen flown home from Libya on Tuesday night. Ghana also repatriated over 100 of its citizens Libya speaking, President Macron said the "extreme evacuation operation" had been agreed upon at the summit
Libya had reiterated its agreement "to identify camps where the slave trade is being carried out", he said according to AFP news agency.
Libya's Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj had also agreed to give access to camps, detention centers where migrants are being sold the chance to be evacuated in the coming days and weeks.
The evacuation is said to be carried out in the next few days will also ensure that migrants at-risk would be given asylum in Europe.
But organisation the AU and UN have accused the European Union of helping to create conditions for abuse of migrants in North African country with the policy of intercepting Europe-bound migrants and returning them back to the African country.
No comments:
Post a Comment