Reports about arrests in Libya on social media ©geebobo0
According to recent reports coming out of the country, as well as videos circulating on social media, a wave of arrests targeting migrants of various origins is currently underway in Libya.
A migrant representative in Tripoli told members of Alarme Phone Sahara:
“My brother (…), the current situation in Libya, in Tripoli and throughout the country, is very serious. The police have decided to deport all migrants who do not have valid papers, regardless of their nationality (Egyptians, Sudanese, or nationals from sub-Saharan Africa). They are arresting everyone, whether they are Senegalese, Nigerians, or Nigeriens.
This has been going on for a month now. People are in limbo and work has come to a standstill. Since the police can no longer find anyone on the streets, they are now forcing their way into migrants’ homes by breaking down doors to arrest all occupants. They are taking them to prison pending repatriation.
At this moment, we need our heads of state to intervene in this dire situation. We are calling on our leaders for help. You know that the majority of migrants here do not have papers, as they arrived via irregular migration routes, and obtaining a residence permit is extremely difficult. The Libyan authorities believe that all migrants are here to cross the sea to Italy.
Currently, every person arrested is sent directly to prisons with hellish conditions, before there is even any talk of repatriation.”
The situation described here is particularly alarming given that, for years, various state and non-state actors have been committing extremely serious human rights violations against migrants in Libya.
This recent wave of arrests comes precisely at a time when EU member states are renewing and strengthening their agreements with Libyan forces that are collaborating in the externalization of European borders. In doing so, they are relying on the so-called Government of National Unity in Tripoli, while simultaneously concluding new agreements with General Haftar’s militias, which control vast areas in the south and east of the country.
Alarme Phone Sahara also fears that some of the people targeted by these mass arrests may be deported to Niger, as has been observed with increasing frequency in recent times.
Alarme Phone Sahara expresses its solidarity with the migrant communities targeted by attacks in Libya and demands:
- No to arrests, incarceration, torture, and pushbacks!
- End the European Union’s anti-migration agreements with state and non-state actors in Libya!
- Respect for human rights and freedom of movement for people on the move and for everyone!
Videos on mass arrests in Libya shared by users on social media:
©bah.mamadou.tanou1
©geebobo0
