The United Nations has imposed sanctions on the leaders of human trafficking networks in Libya, including those associated with the country’s EU-funded coastguard.
The sanctions include a global travel ban and an assets freeze of six of the most prolific smugglers who took advantage of the insecurity in Libya to move hundreds of thousands of migrants by sea to Europe.
It marks the first time that smugglers have been targeted by the global body’s Security Council.
Libya emerged as a major conduit for African migrants hoping to reach Europe after a Nato-backed uprising toppled and killed the country’s longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and the country slid into chaos, with rival governments and parliaments based in the western and eastern regions, each backed by different militias and tribes.
AP
Among those named by the UN were Abd al Rahman al-Milad, regional Libyan coastguard leader whose unit was funded by the EU, and Mus’ab Abu-Qarin, said to have organised journeys over sea for 45,000 people in 2015 alone.
They appeared on the sanctions list alongside Ahmad Oumar Al-Dabbashi, commander of the Anas al-Dabbashi militia that is currently active around the northwestern coastal town of Zawiya.
It said there was extensive evidence that Dabbashi’s militia has been directly involved in the illicit trafficking and smuggling of migrants, and that his militia controls departure areas for migrants, camps, safe houses and boats.
The committee said the militia has longstanding links with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) in North Africa.
Reuters
The militia is also reported to have received money from the government in Tripoli, which was paid by the Italian government to try to curb the huge flows of migrants leaving Libya.
As a result of the decision to attempt to stop the boats trying to reach Europe, many thousands of migrants are trapped in detention centres, and many of them are forced to pay bribes they cannot afford for their release.
Last December, the African Union said between 400,000 and 700,000 migrants were thought to be being held in more than 40 detention camps across Libya, often under inhumane conditions.
The Netherlands Mission, which led the efforts, said its aim is "to destroy the business model of human trafficking networks and tackle the appalling human rights situation of migrants that were sold as slaves on the markets of Libya."
There was widespread global outrage after video footage was broadcast on CNN last November showing the auction and sale of migrant men as slaves in Libya.
The Security Council condemned the sale of African migrants into slavery in Libya as "heinous abuses of human rights" that may constitute crimes against humanity.
Recalling the images of migrants being sold as slaves which "shocked our conscience" and the Security Council’s vow to take action, Nikki Haley, US ambassador, said the sanctions "send a strong message that the international community is united in seeking accountability for perpetrators of human trafficking and smuggling."
Mrs Haley said blacklisting the six men is "part of a larger international effort to seek accountability for those involved in migrant smuggling and trafficking that threatens the peace, security, or stability of Libya."
In selecting the six men, she said there was "close collaboration" between the US, Britain, the Netherlands, France, and Germany.
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