The European Union said it was “deeply saddened” and “firmly” condemned, on Friday 20 September, the shooting death, the day before in Tripoli, of a Sudanese man brought back to Libya by the Libyan coast guard and who refused to be taken back to a detention centre with about 100 other migrants.
“The use of live ammunition (against civilians) is unacceptable in all circumstances”, said Maja Kocijancic, spokeswoman for the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini. “We call on the Libyan government to conduct an in-depth investigation to clarify the circumstances” and ensure that “such events do not happen again”, she said.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), which witnessed the shooting by armed men, also called on the Libyan authorities to conduct a “thorough investigation and bring those responsible to justice”.
For its part, the Commission defended its action to finance and train the Libyan coastguard. “We are training the Libyan coastguard to save lives in full compliance with international standards”, said Maja Kocijancic, for whom the training is largely “about respect for human rights”.
In addition, the EU's position is that “these detention centres must be closed, this system of centres must end”, the spokesperson argued, and “we are in contact with the Libyan authorities to send this very clear message”. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)