Mass graves, militias, and human trafficking don’t seem to deter migrants from traveling to Libya. Only international pressure, according to rights observers, can improve the situation in the nation where most people leave North Africa.
The Libyan security forces’ unexpected raid came as a surprise. Officers barged into a coffee shop where a group of migrants were waiting for possible jobs on Wednesday morning in the coastal town of Zuwara, close to the Tunisian border. The men were gathered up, and then, seemingly at random, some of them were taken away and arrested.
The 19-year-old Nigerian Michael Shira, who was also present in the cafe that morning, was fortunate enough to escape being arrested. He discussed the incident with DW.
“I was fortunate, but we constantly live in fear because Libyan authorities are arresting migrants wherever they see them.”
For several months, Shira has been hiding in Libya, attempting to find employment and biding her time until she can travel to Europe. He remembers, “I was chased by the Tunisian police,”. Then he attempted to flee to Libya, where he was nearly apprehended by border guards from Tunisia. “They intended to hand us migrants over to the Libyan authorities and everyone knows what happens then,” said the adolescent. Like him, most migrants wind up in one of Libya’s detention facilities.
Attractive but Appealing
According to a spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, there are several abuses committed against migrants in Libya, such as forced labor, extortion, torture, starvation in appalling conditions, mass expulsions, and the sale of human beings.
The UN reports that there are at least two mass graves in the nation: one was recently found near the border between Libya and Tunisia, and the other was discovered in the al-Jahriya valley in March of this year, with at least 65 bodies discovered there.
Libya and Tunisia have become the most sought-after destinations for migrants from sub-Saharan Africa in recent years. The European Union, which aims to stop the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean Sea, counts both nations as partners.
Libya is currently the top destination for migrants traveling to Italy, according to a July report from the Italian Nova News Agency, though the number of arrivals seems to be dropping. 14 755 migrants from Libya arrived on Italy’s islands between the beginning of 2024 and July 5, a 47 percent drop from 2023. Arrivals from Tunisia decreased to 10 247 migrants, a decrease of about 70 percent.
That being said, the decline in departures does not mean that fewer people are visiting Libya. Conversely, as reported by local humanitarian organizations, there has been a rise. However, since Libya has been experiencing political unrest for ten years, precise figures are difficult to come by.
“The lack of law and order in Libya and the ability of smuggling networks to be able to continue to operate, often in complicity with officials, means that those schemes are kind of ongoing,” Tim Eaten, a researcher at Chatham House, told the DW that those schemes are kind of ongoing.
