AU chides abuses of African migrants in Libya

The African Union (AU) on Tuesday condemned continuing human rights abuses in Libya against migrants who it said are tortured, raped and sold as slaves.

AU Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat called on all member states to pool their resources for financial contributions to alleviate the suffering of the migrants.

‘‘The practices of slavery, human trafficking, torture, rape are in fact degrading and inhumane activities that are carried out against the African migrants in Libya. The African Union has strongly condemned these practices of the foregone age and expresses its active solidarity with our brothers the victims of the abominable atrocities’‘,he said.

He said resources would also be needed to facilitate the evacuation of migrants, many of them trapped in smuggling networks or detention centres where they face abuse including rape and torture that has been widely documented by human rights organisations and U.N. agencies.

‘‘I appeal to all the member states of the African Union, to the African private sector and to the African citizens, so that they can make financial contributions to help alleviate the sufferings of these African migrants in Libya. I urge member states that have the logistical means to make these facilities available, in order to facilitate the evacuation of these migrants from Libya who wish to be evacuated’,the AU Chair added.

About 43,000 refugees and asylum seekers registered by U.N. refugee agency UNHCR are now in Libya. It is difficult to resettle refugees directly from Libya partly because most countries closed their embassies in Tripoli after fighting escalated there in 2014.

Most migrants travelling through Libya towards Europe come from sub-Saharan African countries where they have fled poverty, repression or conflict.