Libya slave trade 'scandalous abuses of human rights' – Akufo-Addo
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has condemned the alleged auction of African migrants as slaves in Libya, describing it as gross and scandalous abuse of human rights.
Advertisement
He said the trading of African migrants was a mockery of the alleged solidarity of African nations grouped in the African Union (AU), of which Libya is a member.
“The current slave auctions of Africans in Libya are not only gross and scandalous abuse of human rights but also a mockery of the alleged solidarity of African nations grouped in the AU, of which Libya is a member,” the President said in a tweet in reaction to reports by the Cable News Network (CNN) of the trading of African migrants in Libya.
Slave markets
CNN reported that hundreds of African refugees and migrants passing through Libya were being bought and sold in modern-day slave markets.
According to reports, the traders worked by preying on tens of thousands of vulnerable people who risked everything to get to Libya's coast and then cross the Mediterranean into Europe — a route that has been described as the deadliest on earth.
CNN discovered several such slave markets in Libya, proving what experts had feared for a long time: migrants trying to reach Europe via Libya continued to be subjected to abuse.
Parliament
Meanwhile, at their sitting on Wednesday, Members of Parliament (MPs) urged the AU, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to intervene and secure the release of Black Africans being sold into slavery in Libya, reports Musah Yahaya Jafaru from Parliament.
They said the continental and regional bodies should hold emergency meetings and also send a fact-finding mission to Libya to investigate the issue to ascertain the veracity of the situation, as published in the international media.
The legislators made the call following a statement by the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh, on the fate of Africans in Libya.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh had said latest developments indicated that migrants and refugees living in Libya or passing through were being bought and sold in modern-day slave markets.
He said the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) had interviewed West African migrants who recounted how they were sold in garages and at car parks in the southern city of Sabah, one of Libya's main people-smuggling routes.
He said according to reports, people were being sold for between $200 and $500 and were held on average for two to three months.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh said many of the migrant captives who were unable to pay their captors were reportedly killed or left to struggle to death and indicated that "when migrants die, others are bought to replace them".
He, therefore, asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, the United Nations and the Libyan government to conduct a conclusive investigation into the matter.
Other contributions
The Ranking Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said the despicable act of enslaving Black Africans demanded an urgent action by the world.
"The international community must intervene because lives are lost and people injured in the process," he said.
The Majority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, said there was the need for the Authority of Heads of State of ECOWAS to hold an emergency meeting on the issue of enslavement, saying: "It cannot be allowed to continue."
He called for an intensive campaign to discourage the youth from going to Libya in the hope of reaching Europe and stressed the need for the country to make its economy sound and safe to discourage the youth from embarking on such dangerous travels.
The Minority Chief Whip, Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, urged African leaders to wake up to their responsibilities to end the abuse of the rights of fellow Africans.
He also called for a sustained effort by policy makers and politicians to deal with the root causes of increased migration by the youth.
"We need to change the mindset of the youth that everything is rosy in Europe or America," he said.
Speaker's order
The Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, directed the Parliamentary Select Committee on Foreign Affairs to liaise with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration on all matters regarding the enslavement and also arrange for the Minister of Foreign Affairs to appear before Parliament to answer questions on steps being considered to address the issue.
Foreign Affairs
In a related development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration says following disturbing reports of Ghanaians being sold off as slaves in Libya, the Ghana Mission in Malta, with concurrent accreditation to Libya, paid a consular visit to the three detention centres in Tripoli, namely Tajoora, Trek Al Sika and Trek Matar.
The purpose of the visit was to ascertain the veracity of the claims, assess detainees’ condition and offer assistance to those identified as Ghanaians among the many illegal migrants held at those centres.
A statement issued by the ministry said it emerged, during the visit to Libya, that 168 Ghanaian detainees who were identified were not part of the slave trade, as alleged, but had been arrested on illegal immigration charges and were already being held in detention camps.
It said in view of the discovery, those undocumented Ghanaians were immediately issued with the necessary documents to facilitate their repatriation to Ghana on a chartered flight, with support from the IOM.
It expressed the hope that the returnees would take advantage of the opportunities being provided by the government to reintegrate properly and contribute to national development.
Meanwhile, the statement said, the government was taking steps to open a consulate in Libya following the closure of the Ghana Mission during the Libyan crisis.
As of the time of going to press yesterday, the 168 Ghanaian detainees in Libya were yet to arrive in Accra.