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EUROPE-MIGRANT-LIBYA
NGOs call on EU to stop sending migrants back to Libya
PARIS, Feb 1, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Oxfam and 53 other organisations Friday
accused EU governments of being complicit in the “tragedy” of migrants
crossing from Libya to Italy, saying more than 5,300 people had died in the
Mediterranean in the past two years.
In an open letter, the NGOs called on European governments to support
rescue operations and stop sending migrants back to Libya, where the
organisations said they face abuse.
With the support of the EU, Italy and Libya in February 2017 signed a deal
to stem the flow of migrants from North Africa to Italy, with Rome and the EU
to provide support for Libyan coastguards while Tripoli would prevent people
leaving its shores for Europe.
But in two years, “more than 5,300 women, men and children perished in the
Mediterranean”, the NGOs said in their open letter.
According to the groups, EU governments have become “complicit in the
tragedy unfolding before their eyes” because people are in more danger at sea
and are being returned to Libya.
The NGOs highlighted the plight of migrants detained in Libya.
“Many are mistreated before being sold to armed groups or as slaves,” Jon
Cerezo, humanitarian campaign head at Oxfam France, said in a statement from
the NGO.
The humanitarian organisations called on EU governments to “stop sending
people rescued at sea back to Libya”.
They also said these governments should support “search and rescue
operations and ensure that people rescued at sea can arrive safely and
without delay to Europe”.
BSS/AFP/MRI/0830 hrs