(JollofNews) – African and European leaders have agreed to airlift 3800 migrants trapped in the chaotic African country of Libya, a senior Foreign Affairs official said.
The move comes after an investigation by CNN has uncovered the ‘auction of African migrants’ by their jailors as their hopes of a new life in Europe were dashed. Last Thusrday, a communique issued at the end of the Abidjan Summit in Cote d’Ivoire, indicated the reaffirmed commitment of African and European leaders to address the ongoing enslavement of migrants in Libya.
Foreign Affairs Deputy Permanent Secretary Ebrima Jobe who spoke to JollofNews revealed that 40 detention centers have already been identified in Libya.”The Kingdom of Morocco, France, and the Federal Republic of Germany will provide the air carriers,” he said.
Jobe assured that there will be no disruption of the repatriation efforts being initiated by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). He then confirmed the arrival of of 199 Gambian nationals from Libya on Nov.30 2017 as he was among government officials welcoming them at Banjul International airport.
The senior Foreign Affairs official decried the fact that some of our ‘African brothers act as middlemen in the purported slavery,’ which is going on in the Northern African country.“These are those who phoned families of the kidnapped persons to ask for ransom.Our criminal justice system should without delay innitate the prosecution of all those Africans involved in these racketeerings.The Gambia is not an exception,” he told JollofNews.
Between 4000 to 5000 Gambian migrants are still detained in Libyan camps where they face the risk of being ‘auctioned.’ This situation prompted a group of young activists to take to the streets over the weekend, demanding world leaders to act on Libya.
