TheNewsGuru

Tag: Libya

  • Czech, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia offer 35m euros for Libyan border protection

    The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have offered 35 million euros (41 million dollars) to assist an EU project aiming at beefing up border protection in Libya.

    This is in an effort to help tackle the bloc’s migration crisis in the area, the four countries said this in a statement while addressing the root causes of the problems.

    The move to financially assist the Italian-led project is meant to demonstrate efforts by the four countries, which belong to the so-called Visegrad group or Visegrad IV (V4) within the EU, to pull their weight on providing solutions to migration questions.

    The V4 have long been critical of EU policies on mandatory quotas to relocate migrants arriving to Italy and Greece, and they have called for stemming the flow of migrants in countries outside the EU.

    “The financial effort and the readiness in the implementation of the project is another demonstration of the V4 countries of their conviction that the migratory pressure on Europe can only be tackled by protecting external borders.

    On Dec. 8, the V4 launched a joint project to strengthen the Libyan border protection and improve the situation of refugees in Libya, the Government Office said in a statement on Friday.

    The project is to help prevent migrant crises, outgoing Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka wrote.

    Sobotka wrote in the statement that the V4’s joint project is to be one of a number of Czech activities to prevent migrant crises.

    The V4’s financial contributions will go to the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, which was established two years ago in support of African countries of migrant origin and transit, the Government Office wrote.

    The Czech Republic has contributed 1.66 million euros to the fund so far, being one of the biggest contributors in Central and East Europe.

    Earlier this year, the Czech government approved 25 million crowns worth of a contribution to the Libyan coast guards.

    on Friday, the Czech Republic launched a project together with Italy, which focuses on improving the situation of people in the Ivory Coast.

    The Czech contribution of 26 million crowns is designated to improve healthcare in this country and facilitate refugees’ return, the government office wrote.

  • Slave trade: Amnesty International accuses EU of abetting migrant rights violations in Libya

    Amnesty International on Tuesday accused European governments of abetting grave human rights violations in Libya through their support for authorities there that often work with people smugglers and torture refugees and migrants.

    Determined to cut African immigration across the Mediterranean, the governments, via the EU, have provided support to Libya, trained its coastguard and spent millions of euros through UN agencies to improve conditions in detention camps where Libya puts the migrants.

    The advocacy group said up to 20,000 people were now held in these centres and subject to “torture, forced labour, extortion, and unlawful killings.”

    “European governments have not just been fully aware of these abuses; by actively supporting the Libyan authorities in stopping sea crossings and containing people in Libya, they are complicit in these crimes,” John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International’s head for Europe, said.

    The European Union’s executive arm, the European Commission, was not immediately available for comment.

    Libya is the main gateway for migrants trying to cross to Europe by sea, though numbers have dropped sharply since July as Libyan factions and authorities have begun to block departures under pressure from Italy, the main landing point.

    No fewer than 600,000 have made the journey over the past four years.

    Amnesty said the Libyan coastguards – which the EU backs to intercept people heading for Europe, work hand-in-hand with people smugglers, including in torturing people to extort money.

    “By supporting Libyan authorities in trapping people in Libya … European governments have shown where their true priorities lie: namely the closure of the central Mediterranean route, with scant regard to the suffering caused,” said Dalhuisen.

    With Libya being largely a lawless states since the fall of veteran ruler Muammar Gaddafi, some EU officials and diplomats chafe at what they see as being forced to rely on sometimes shady characters in the matrix of alliances between militias.

    However, EU leaders meeting for their final gathering this year in Brussels on December 14 to 15 will recommit themselves to this strategy, which they see as bearing fruit in the form of fewer sea crossings.

    The presidency of Libya’s UN-backed government said in November it was a victim of illegal migration, not a source of it, and appealed to foreign powers to help stop flows from migrants’ countries of origin.

  • You can’t sue Libyan Government for slavery, Falana tells Nigerian returnees

    A human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana, has stated that the Nigerian victims of slavery cannot sue Libya, stressing that the shameful slave trade which Nigeria is battling with is part of the fallout from the removal and brutal killing of President Muammar Gaddafi by armed gangs supported by the allied forces of imperialism led by the United States under President Barrack Obama.

    Falana said in a statement yesterday that Nigeria had herself to blame for the tragedy in Libya, adding that without considering her political and strategic interests in the political crisis in Libya, Nigeria blindly supported the illegal resolution of the United Nations Security Council which authorised the invasion of Libya to effect a regime change.

    According to him, while the regime change has ensured uninterrupted supply of the Libyan oil to Western countries, the country has been destroyed completely as not less than five armed gangs are laying claim to the leadership of the country.

    Falana noted that it has been confirmed that the arms and ammunition looted from the armory in Libya were sold to the dreaded Boko Haram sect.

    According to the senior lawyer, the jurisdiction of the Community Court is limited to the West African sub-region, Nigerians whose rights are breached in other African countries would have been able to seek redress in the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights sitting in Arusha, Tanzania.

    According to him, that is not possible as the federal government has refused to make a Declaration accepting the jurisdiction of the Court in line with Article 34(6) of the Protocol establishing the African Court which provides that “At the time of the ratification of this Protocol or any time thereafter the State shall make a declaration accepting the competence of the court to receive petitions under Article 5(3) of this Protocol. The Court shall not receive any petition under Article 5(3) involving a state party which has not made such a declaration.”

    He recalled that in Femi Falana v. African Union (Application No. 019/2015), the Applicant challenged the validity of Article 34(6) of the Protocol establishing the African Court on the grounds that he could not be denied access to the Court due to the refusal of Nigeria to make the requisite Declaration.

    In opposing the case the African Union (AU) argued that the obligations of state parties to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights could not be inferred upon the AU. By a split decision of 7 to 3 votes the African Court struck out the case for want of locus standi on the part of the Applicant.

    It was the view of the Court that since the AU is not a party to the Protocol, it could not be subject to its obligation and the Court therefore lacked jurisdiction to entertain the case.

    He also noted that in SERAP v Nigeria (Application No. 001/2013) the Applicant had sought an advisory opinion of the African Court to decide whether the citizens of countries governed by corrupt leaders are entitled to sue their governments before the African Court for the hardship they face due to actions of such leaders.

    While Cape Verde and Zambia staunchly supported the contention of SERAP, the governments of Nigeria and Uganda challenged the competence of the case.

    Falana noted that the Court agreed with Nigeria and Uganda and struck out the case due to lack of locus standi of the Applicant since Nigeria has not deposited the Declaration.

    “No doubt, the stand of Nigeria in the case has called to question the commitment of Muhammadu Buhari to the fight against corruption in Nigeria,” he added.

    “Even though Libya too has not formally accepted the jurisdictional competence of the African Court, the victims of the illegal slave trade in that country could have submitted a petition to the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights and thereafter apply that the communication be referred to the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights for judicial determination. But since Nigeria has not facilitated access to the African Court, the victims of the slave trade in Libya have been left without any legal remedy whatsoever,” he added.

     

  • Returnee rejects Gov Obaseki’s N20k stipend, says he makes double of that daily in Libya

    Returnee rejects Gov Obaseki’s N20k stipend, says he makes double of that daily in Libya

    A 27-year old Libyan deportee, Obehi Diamond, has rejected thd offer of N20,000 as monthly stipend from Governor of Edo state,Godwin Obaseki.

    Obehi described Libya as the best country where a young man can work and earn good money if there was a central government in the country.

    Obehi said, “In Libya, I was earning 2000 dinars. From there I was sending money to my parents in Nigeria to take care of themselves. In 2014, I was going to take measurement for a job, policemen stopped the vehicle I was in.

    “I was the only black inside. After interrogation, they tore my papers. I spent 8 months in four different prisons. In Libya, there is no lawyer to bail you. A policeman helped me out and I paid him 120,000 dinars.

    “I started working again in Tripoli till 2016 when fight started. When I was arrested in Tripoli, I spent 15 months in prison before I was deported. I was not planning to go to Europe.

    “In Libya, there is work. Libya is the best country in aspect of money and work. There is no country to compare to Libya. The problem is the lack of government.

    “There is money in Libya if you are a good workman. There is future in Libya for those that are not lazy. Since 2015, there was no means to send money home. Libyans know that we blacks do keep money at home.

    “When they caught me, they went to my house to collect my money and property. I lost everything. If I had come home with that money, I won’t depend on government to help me, I will just open my shop immediately.

    “If the state government help me to open my shop, I will not think of traveling again. There is nobody that goes to Libya that does not have skills except the Benin boys. The Benin boys are lazy. .

    “The training from Gov.Obaseki is out of point. If I have my money, I will go to Lagos and start working immediately. I cannot collect N20k monthly from Obaseki. That is no money. That is what I make in two days in Libya. What I need is money to start off.”

  • Security Council condemns Libya’s African slave trade

    The UN Security Council on Thursday condemned the slave trade of African migrants in Libya as “heinous human rights abuses which may also amount to crimes against humanity,” and called on those responsible to be held to account.

    In a statement read out to a formal meeting by Amb. Koro Bessho of Japan, Council President for December, the 15-member body expressed “grave concern” at reports of migrants being sold into slavery in Libya.

    The Council emphasised that all migrants should be treated with humanity and dignity and that their rights should be fully respected.

    The Council urged the Libyan authorities and all Member States to comply with their obligations under international law and stressed the need to transfer detainees to State authority.

    The Council also encouraged those authorities to reinforce cooperation with international organisations and UN agencies and to ensure full humanitarian access to detention centres.

    The Council welcomed the statement by the Presidency Council of the Government of National Accord of Libya denouncing trafficking in persons, including for the purpose of slavery, inside or outside the country.

    The 15-member body noted that Libyan authorities had launched an investigation and were committed to bringing perpetrators to justice.

    The Council also welcomed statements by the AU calling for an immediate end to such practices and by the UN Secretary‑General requesting United Nations actors to actively pursue the matter.

    Reaffirming support for the Action Plan for Libya, the Council emphasised that a stable Libya was the only way to help improve the living conditions of all people in the country, including migrants.

    The Council also underlined the need for all actors to cooperate with the Government of National Accord of Libya, including assisting the country to build capacity to secure its borders and end human trafficking.

    The Council urged ratification and implementation of international instruments that countered such trafficking by all Member States.

    The Council encouraged cooperation between the European Union, the AU and the UN to protect the lives of migrants and refugees along migration routes, inside Libya in particular.

    In addition, it underlined the need for coordination of efforts to tackle the root causes of large movements of people.

    This includes forced displacement, unmanaged migration and trafficking, in a comprehensive manner to prevent exploitation of refugees and migrants as well as for implementation of the 2030 Agendafor Sustainable Development

  • Many Nigerians in Libya don’t want to return-FG

    A number of Nigerians in Libya do not want to return home, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama has disclosed.

    The minister stated this on Wednesday while addressing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting.

    Onyeama said the Nigeria’s Charge D’Affairs in Tripoli had been invited to Abuja to give full details of the imprisonment of Nigerians in various detention centres in Libya

    He said once the government gets number or Nigerians in Libya’s prisons and all other facts, it would meet with National Emergency Management Agency and the NAPTIP on how to evacuate them.

    The minister said the evacuation would be done in co-ordination with International Organisation for Migration “and see if we can very quickly repatriate all our Nigerian nationals who are there who want to return home.

    “The charge d’ affairs said a number of Nigerians (and not all of them) do not want to come home. Certainly, it has to be those who want to come back home.”

  • More Nigerians return from Libya

    Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, on Tuesday joined officials of some government agencies as they received a fresh set of Nigerians flown home from Libya.

    TheNewsGuru reports that no fewer than 144 Nigerians voluntarily returned home aboard a chartered Buraq Airlines aircraft with registration number 5A-DMG.

    The aircraft landed at about 6.45pm at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

    The returnees were assisted back by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the European Union (EU).

    TNG reports that the Wife of the Governor of Lagos State, Mrs Bolanle Ambode, who represented the Wife of the President, Haija Aisha Buhari, was also present at the Hajj Camp area of the airport as the Nigerians returned.

    The South West Zonal Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Suleiman Yakubu , who gave a break down of the returnees, said they were made up of 97 males, 39 females, two children and six infants.

    Addressing newsmen, Dabiri-Erewa, commended the IOM for facilitating the return of the Nigerians.

    She, however, noted that there was need to keep the tempo of awareness high in order to stop Nigerians from embarking on the perilous journey in search of greener pastures in Europe.

    One of the returnees, Mr Godsent Jatto, from Edo State, told NAN that he had a harrowing experience in Libya after being sold into slavery by fellow Nigerians.

    He said :”I am so happy coming back to Nigeria. I will never dream in my life to pass through Kano to Libya again”.

    Jatto said it was sad that some Nigerians also lured their fellow brothers to Libya only to get them into human trafficking.

    He said some were sold to the Arabs who will now start calling the Nigerians’ families in the village demanding for money for them to be released.

    According to him, traffickers usually lie to people back in Nigeria that their relatives have crossed to Europe whereas some of them have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea.

    “My advice to Nigerians that still want to embark on this journey is that they should not try it. Keep doing anything you are doing here because your country is your country,” he said.

    Another returnee, Ms Caroline Ishola, an aspiring actress from Ekiti State, described her journey to Libya as a misadventure.

    Ishola said: “My experience was bad. It is a very dangerous country. I was an actress before embarking on this journey and I paid the person who took me N400, 000 at first and paid more when I got to Libya.

    “I was sold in Libya but thank God it was not into a connection house and at the end of the day the place was raided by the Police and we were arrested and that was how I got back.”

    The fresh returnees came back days after a batch of 150 Nigerians voluntarily returned on Nov. 30 from the volatile North African country where they had been stranded enroute Europe.

    Before then, many had also been assisted back home in batches.

    As at the time of filing this report, another batch of Nigerians was being expected from Libya as their aircraft was said to be on the way from Tripoli

  • FG identifies 2,778 Nigerians in detention camps in Libya, moves to repatriate 250 weekly

    The Federal Government says it has a record of 2,778 Nigerian migrants registered in “accessible” detention camps in Libya, ready for repatriation.

    The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement signed by the Spokesperson Mr Tiwatope Elias-Fatiile on Tuesday, said the country’s embassy in Libya had been visiting detention camps to identify Nigerians for registration.

    The ministry stated that those registered were issued Emergency Travel Certificates.

    The ministry also explained that the embassy in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) repatriates 250 migrants weekly and had returned 3,000 of them so far.

    “From the 2,778 registered Nigerians who are still in detention camps, another set of 250 Nigerian migrants will be arriving on Tuesday Dec. 5, at Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos at 7.00.p.m. to be received by NEMA officials.

    “The Embassy, in collaboration with the IOM repatriates 250 Nigerian migrants by flight to Lagos weekly – each flight can accommodate only 250 passengers.

    “The repatriation is a continuous exercise and the Embassy routinely issues the requisite travel documents to the migrants.

    “The Embassy will continue to engage the legitimate government in Libya and other stakeholders in addressing the plight of Nigerian migrants in that country.”

    The Ministry further said that the Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama had invited the Nigerian Embassy’s Head of Mission, Mr Iliya Fachano, to Abuja for consultations.

    “He is in Abuja already and during the period of the consultations, arrangements have been made for him to address press conferences on the issue.

    “This would afford the Nigerian public the opportunity to hear from him directly.”

    The ministry, however, advised intending Nigerian travellers to “avoid Libya at this period, because of the dangers they may encounter in the process of their journey”.

    The ministry also urged citizens to reach the Nigerian Embassy in Libya for assistance through these emergency numbers: +218910144487, +218925099384 and +218917953365.

    “The contact email addresses for the embassy and the ministry are: nigeria@nigeriantripoli.org and help@foreignaffairs.gov.ng.

    It said that the embassy had received requests for intervention from some relations of the victims based in Nigeria through these contacts.

    While condemning the slave market in Libya, the ministry said it would engage the UN, African Union, European Union and other stakeholders to ensure that the perpetrators were brought to justice.

    “It violates the fundamental human rights of the victims and it is unacceptable to the civilised world.”

     

    NAN

  • Charly Boy leads protest against Libyan slavery

    Veteran musician and activist, Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy has led a protest against reported slave auction in Libya.

    Charley Boy on Monday, December 4 led the protest to the Foreign Affairs Head Office in Abuja with his hands chained.

    The group of protesters called Our Mumu Don Do Movement was led by Charley in reaction to the plight of Nigerians in Libya demanded that proactive and reactive steps be taken by the Federal Government over the plight of Nigerians sold as slaves in Libya.

    There has been an outcry on social media in reaction to the ongoing slave action in Libya after a recent CNN viral video showing migrants being traded in an auction which many narrating their sad ordeal.

    President Muhammadu Buhari, the Senate, and House of Representatives has condemned the modern day slavery in Libya with the executives vowing to stop illegal migration in Nigeria.

  • Jonathan’s ex-aide, Omokri urges Churches to help repatriate Nigerians stranded in Libya

    Former Presidential Media aide Reno Omokri has called on churches in Nigeria to come to the aid of Libya returnees.

    In a Tweet on Saturday, the US based pastor said Christianity is not only spread by acts of evangelism.

    Omokri said: “Imagine the impact on Christianity if churches come to the aid of Libya returnees as well as those still in Libya.

    “Christianity is not only spread by acts of evangelism.Sometimes, acts of humanitarianism make people see the Christ in us which then attracts them to Christianity.”