Several countries have raised strong concerns at the United Nations over the treatment of migrants in Libya, a major transit hub for Africans fleeing conflict and poverty in hopes of reaching Europe.
During a UN human rights review session, Britain, Spain, Norway and Sierra Leone condemned widespread reports of abuse, including arbitrary detention, torture, extortion and killings of migrants held by traffickers and armed groups.
Rights organisations and UN agencies say many migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean are intercepted or abducted, then confined in informal detention centres and warehouses controlled by traffickers. Survivors have described beatings, sexual violence and ransom demands made to families back home. A Dutch court case recently brought to light harrowing testimony and evidence about these trafficking networks, while a UN agency reported that bodies recovered from mass graves in Libya bore gunshot wounds, suggesting extrajudicial executions.
Norway’s ambassador urged Libyan authorities to put an immediate end to arbitrary detentions and to hold perpetrators accountable, stressing that migrants must not be treated as “commodities in a market of suffering.” Britain called for UN investigators to be given unrestricted access to all detention facilities and sites where migrants are held, warning that accountability is impossible without full transparency.
In an open letter addressed to UN member states, a coalition of human rights groups accused powerful armed factions in Libya of operating with impunity. They alleged that these groups systematically block investigations, intimidate witnesses and commit widespread abuses, including enforced disappearances and summary killings, with little or no consequence.
Responding to the criticism, Libya’s acting foreign minister, Eltaher Salem Elbaour, acknowledged the country’s deep governance and security challenges but insisted that the UN-backed government in Tripoli is working to improve the situation. He cited ongoing cooperation with the International Criminal Court and the creation of a new joint committee to oversee detention centres and conditions of detainees.
Elbaour maintained that Libya is committed to ensuring that human rights are respected during what he described as a fragile political transition.
Libya’s human rights record is currently under examination as part of the UN’s Universal Periodic Review, a process that scrutinises all 193 member states on a rotating basis. The session drew additional attention after the United States notably failed to appear for its own scheduled review last week, prompting concerns among diplomats and rights advocates about weakening global accountability standards.
