On Monday 20 November, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and President of the African Union Alpha Condé condemned the "inhumane treatment", particularly slavery, faced by migrants in Libya.
In a joint statement published after a phone conversation, Mogherini and Condé expressed their "total condemnation of these despicable acts and are firm in their resolve to ask for an immediate end to these criminal practices, as well as to the trafficking of human beings". Mogherini and Condé thus brought their support to the demands made to the Libyan authorities to act quickly and to fight the perpetrators of these crimes and bring them to justice.
"Horrified", United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, called on "all competent authorities to carry out an investigation into these activities without delay and to bring the perpetrators (of these acts) to justice" – acts that "can constitute crimes against humanity". "I have asked the relevant actors in the United Nations to follow this issue actively", he added in a statement. Mogherini and Condé did not make reference to international action – unlike Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou, who called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) "to deal with this dossier".
Mogherini confirmed the EU's commitment to continue its support to the UN to ensure the respect of human right and to improve the living conditions of migrants on Libyan territory. The EU is currently facing increased criticism from non-governmental organisations, and also from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, with regard to its action in Libya on managing migrants (see EUROPE 11905).
Mogherini and Condé also agreed on the need to continue the EU's cooperation with African countries, including those of the G5 Sahel, and with the African Union, in order to fight actively against smugglers' networks. "The African Union and the European Union share the universal principles of human dignity and are determined to work together to ensure their full implementation", their joint statement says. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)