For years Libya has been a stepping stone for Africans seeking a better life in Europe. Syrian refugees fleeing the conflict at home are also making their way to Libya to try to reach the West.
"The ghastly conditions for migrants, coupled with spiraling lawlessness and armed conflicts raging within the country, make clear just how dangerous life in Libya is today," said Amnesty's Philip Luther.
The situation has worsened since the NATO-backed 2011 uprising that toppled veteran dictator Muammar Qaddafi, with powerful militias battling for Libya's oil wealth and two governments vying for power.
Feeding on the chaos, people smugglers have stepped up their lucrative trade. The flow of migrants also rises when sea conditions improve in warmer months.
"With no legal avenues to escape and seek safety they are forced to place their lives in the hands of smugglers who callously extort, abuse and attack them," Luther said.
Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa director urged the European Union to deploy more rescue vessels in the Mediterranean while tackling smugglers at the same time.
"Introducing measures to tackle smugglers without providing safe alternative routes out for the people desperate to flee conflict in Libya, will not resolve the plight of migrants and refugees," he said.
The rights group also called on Tunisia and Egypt to ease border restrictions with Libya, in order to provide migrants -- who would otherwise embark on a dangerous sea journey to Europe -- haven.
The Amnesty report, "Libya is full of cruelty", details testimonies of abuse, sexual violence, exploitation or religious prosecution.
Charles, a Christian from Nigeria, told Amnesty he was beaten and abducted by armed gangs in Libya several times.
Others have spoken of abuse at the hands of smugglers, who they say treat them like "animals".
Women migrants complained of sexual abuse, with one saying she was "gang-raped" by 11 men after her husband was tied to a pole and forced to watch.
Amnesty quoted Syrian refugees as saying smugglers moved them to boats in poorly ventilated refrigerator trucks.
It also criticized Libya's policy of locking up illegal migrants in detention centers where conditions are dire.
Libyan officials, who have complained of a lack of means, have said that 7,000 illegal migrants are being held in 16 detention centers across the country awaiting deportation.
AFP
alarabiya.net
11/5/15
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Wary of disorder in Libya and Mali, Algerian army targets southern smuggling...
ReplyDeleteFearing armed chaos in neighbouring Libya and renewed conflict in Mali, Algeria's army is shifting focus from fighting Islamist militants at home to the Sahel border smuggling that feeds them in the region.
Since last month, the Algerian military says it has arrested more than 650 suspected smugglers on its borders with Libya, Mali and Niger in a campaign to tighten the largely desolate and trackless desert frontiers with the Sahel to its south.
"Algeria's army is aware that fighting terrorism in the Sahel is useless if you do not include fighting smugglers," security analyst and writer Anis Rahmani said......Reuters....channelnewsasia.com
11/5/15
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will travel to Brussels later this month to address the European parliament, as Europe seeks international cooperation to cope with the Mediterranean migrant crisis...
ReplyDeleteBan will also hold talks with EU leaders during the visit on May 26, UN spokesman Farhan Haq said Monday.
The UN chief will also travel to South Korea on Monday, Vietnam on May 22 and Ireland on May 24 before heading to Brussels.
The secretary-general has urged Europe not to focus on military response to the migrant crisis that would put heavy emphasis on stopping migrant smugglers and called for a improved rescue at sea.
He has also called for Europe to create more safe havens for asylum-seekers fleeing conflict and poverty.
The visit to Brussels was announced after EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini appealed to the UN Security Council to back Europe's efforts to deal with the crisis.
AFP
ahram.org.eg
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Mogherini ha acudido a Nueva York para obtener el aval que debe permitir a la UE desplegar la operación militar contra el negocio de las mafias que trafican con inmigrantes desde Libia hasta las costas europeas, principalmente italianas. “Nuestra prioridad es salvar vidas y prevenir más fallecimientos en el mar”, ha asegurado la exministra italiana de Exteriores, que ha enmarcado este proyecto comunitario en la necesidad de garantizar la seguridad en Europa, pero también en las obligaciones humanitarias.......elpais.com
11/5/15