Rwanda agrees to resettle 30,000 Africans enslaved in Libya

The Rwandan government has offered to take in thousands of African migrants trapped in Libya under enslaved conditions, its foreign ministry chief said on Wednesday.

Louise Mushikiwabo told a local media portal that the government was ready to find space for Africans in Libya even though Rwanda was a small place.

In an official statement, the government joined the world to condemn the CNN report that exposed the human slavery enterprise in the north African country.

Statement by RwandaMFA: Rwanda, like the rest of the world, was horrified by the images of the tragedy currently unfolding in Libya, where African men, women and children who were on the road to exile, have been held and turned into slaves.

— Government of Rwanda (RwandaGov) November 22, 2017

The African Union Commission chair, Moussa Faki Mahamat, expressed appreciation at Rwanda’s gesture and called on other African governments and private sector to play a role in helping out those trapped.

“I am deeply appreciative of the offer made by the government of Rwanda to resettle up to 30,000 African migrants languishing in Libya or transport those who wish to return to their countries of origin.

“I call on all African Member States, private sector and African citizens to pool resources and add the voices to support our brothers and sisters suffering in Libya,” he said in tweets sent out on Wednesday.