More than 400,000 Nigerians and others are stranded in Libya, Head, African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat has stated.
From 400,000 to 700, 000 Nigerians remain stranded in Libya,” Mahamat stated.
European and African leaders have set themselves a tall order to stamp out horrific abuse of African migrants, some of them are Nigerians in Libya, where thousands are suffering in a vast, lawless territory.
On Thursday, a summit of the African Union and the European Union set a goal of immediately repatriating 3,800 migrants languishing in a camp near Tripoli.
But experts pointed to a daunting array of hurdles, from extracting migrants in perilous situations to giving them incentives to stay put when they return home.
Even so, the summit’s commitment, initiated by outrage over a CNN television report on black Africans being sold as slaves in Libya, is being welcomed.
“It is a step in the right direction,” International Organisation for Migration Europe Director, Eugenio Ambrosi, told Agence France Presse by phone from Brussels.
“It is a little bit too much to think it will solve the slavery issue, but it would definitely mitigate (it) to some extent,” Ambrosi said.
He said the summit also showed there was now “international watchdog pressure” that could be brought to bear on the criminal gangs, but it must be “sustained.”
The drive was announced at a meeting on the summit sidelines organised by French President, Emmanuel Macron.
It brought together eight other EU and African countries as well as the AU, EU and United Nations representatives.
Macron said the UN-backed Libyan government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj had identified and granted access to the worst camps to enable the returns of people who want to go home.
The Macron group also decided to work with a task force, involving the sharing of police and intelligence services, to “dismantle the networks and their financing and detain traffickers,” he said.
They pledged to freeze the assets of identified traffickers. The AU is expected to set up an investigative panel and the UN could take cases before the International Court of Justice.
Meanwhile, the Libyan government has condemned the reported auction of West Africans in its capital Tripoli, noting that the criminal practice was not part of the culture of the Libyan people.
The government called for an international campaign against illegal migration and demanded an end to “exploitation, the suffering of the ambitious African man looking for better life in Europe and human trafficking right from the country of source.”
Speaking on the alleged auction of West Africans in his country at a press conference on Friday in Abuja, Dr. Attia Alkhoder, the Charge d’Affairs and ambassador-designate, Libyan embassy in Nigeria, , explained that his government had ordered the relevant agency to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the incident.
Alkhoder said the government was concerned about illegal migration and human trafficking, adding that Libya needed technical and logistical support to control its southern border, which is the major route for illegal migration across the Mediterranean Sea.
The diplomat criticised the media for attacking and holding his country responsible for the slaves’ auction, noting that human trafficking and the reported slaves’ auction were done by individuals and not the Libyan authorities.
Alkhoder said, “Libya renews its call to put an end to exploitation, the suffering of the ambitious African man looking for better life in Europe and human trafficking.
“Libya calls for an international campaign to put an end to this phenomenon by providing security and border control to end the Libyan crisis, unify its government institutions and end the transition system that contributed a lot in the weakening control of territory.”
The envoy noted that solving illegal migration was a collective responsibility involving countries of origin, transit and destination.
He added that Libya spent a lot of money accommodating immigrants and facilitating their voluntary return to their countries, insisting that curbing illegal migration needed serious coordination of international efforts.
In a similar development, Godwin Obaseki of Edo State governor has approved a seed capital of N100 million and 150 hectares of land for 150 victims of human trafficking, who recently completed skills acquisition training in the state.
Obaseki announced this on Friday during the graduation of the participants of the programme, which was organised by the Edo Agricultural Development Programme in Benin City, the state capital.
He also directed the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources to immediately liaise with the relevant authorities towards securing the land for the returnees to commence their agricultural businesses.
According to the governor, the beneficiaries would be put under the supervision of the Benin-Owena River Basin Authority and the EADP.
Obaseki stressed the need for coordinated efforts to end modern slavery.
He stated that the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, marked on December 2 annually by the United Nations, should be seen as a day for deep reflection on how to bring the illicit trade to an end.
Obaseki said, “We ordinarily should not be talking about the menace of slavery given the experience we have had. But it is a reality today and we have no choice but to tackle it.
“However, it is pertinent to point out the fact that modern-day slavery, in its various forms, such as forced labour, debt bondage, and human trafficking, has no place among us. To effectively abolish slave trade as we have it today, it takes a coordinated, deep-reaching, international coalition that will take into cognisance the various forms of modern-day slavery and compel perpetrators to back down.”
He, however, commended the returnees, comprising 51 trained on crop production, 15 on agro-processing, 68 on livestock farming and 52 on fish farming, for participating in the programme.
He also urged them to be ambassadors in the state-wide campaign against human trafficking and illegal migration.
Earlier, Mr. Peter Aikhuomobhogbe, the Programme Manager of the EADP, commended the state government for initiating the training and expressed optimism that the trainees would put the skills acquired to good use.
Source- The PUNCH
