Protesters demonstrate against "Slavery in Libya" on November 23, 2017,
outside the Libyan embassy in the Moroccan capital Rabat. Images
broadcast by CNN earlier this month appearing to show migrants auctioned
off as slaves by Libyan traffickers has sparked outrage in Europe and
anger in Africa. PHOTO | AFP
The United Nations, African Union and the European Union have
agreed to set up a joint task force to rescue African refugees from
slavery in Libya.
UN Secretary General Antonio
Guterres, AU Commission Chairman, Moussa Faki Mahamat, and the president
of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, who met on Wednesday at
the AU/EU Summit in Abidjan in Cote d’Ivoire, said the team will work
to save and protect migrants and refugees enroute to and inside Libya,
accelerating the assisted voluntary returns to their countries of
origin, and the resettlement of those in need of international
protection.
“The work of the task force will be closely
co-ordinated with the Libyan authorities and be part of the overall
joint work that the AU, the EU and the UN will intensify to dismantle
traffickers and criminal networks, and to offer opportunities of
development and stability to countries of origin and transit by tackling
the root causes of migration,” the joint statement read.
The
task force will add to what has been done by countries of origin, and
the International Organization for Migration (IOM), with EU funding.
“We must also ensure that people can find a dignified future in their home country,” said UN secretary General Antonio Guterres.
In
another joint AU-EU statement released on Thursday on the sidelines of
the summit, the leaders welcomed efforts by the Presidential Council and
the Government of National Accord of Libya to address such cases,
promising to support it in bringing the perpetrators of the crimes to
justice.
The move comes a few weeks after independent US television
channel CNN broadcast footages of migrants being subjected to extreme
abuse, including being auctioned off as slaves.
While
Libyan authorities launched investigations into the allegations, which
they said they were not aware of, sources including the 155 Ivorian
migrants returned to Abidjan in November 20, have confirmed the sale of
slaves has been going on from as early as 2013.
The
refugees and migrants are reportedly smuggled into Libya by a network of
criminal gangs with the promise of reaching Europe’s shores.
The
slave trade is said to have flourished following the power vacuum in
Libya after the killing of long term leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011,
as rival groups battle for power. More than 150,000 people are said to
attempt to reach Europe through Libya — the main gateway — by sea
annually for the past three years.
Meanwhile, the need
to create more jobs and enhance economic opportunities for Africa’s
young population came to the fore at the summit.
Leaders emphasised the need to promote youth development, empower women and protect girls.
“Today,
the majority of African citizens are under 25, and by the middle of
this century, one in four people on earth will be African. But this
demographic dividend cannot deliver without smart investments,” said
Jean-Claude Juncker.
“This is precisely why we are
going to put our investments in education, in infrastructure, in peace
and security, as well as in good governance – all of which will in turn
inspire good business environments and create much needed jobs and
growth.”
African leaders who spoke at the event
welcomed the EU’s External Investment Plan, which was launched in 2016
with the aim of encouraging European countries to invest in African
countries in order to promote inclusive growth, job creation and
sustainable development and so tackle some of the root causes of
irregular migration.
The project will mobilise about
$52.5 billion of private investments for sustainable development and job
creation with the focus to enhancing entrepreneurship of women and
young people.
According to the Africa Development
Bank, about 12 million youth enter the job market each year but only 3.1
million jobs are created, leaving vast numbers of youth unemployed.
This has resulted in severe consequences, including increased migration
out of Africa.
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