ECFR | 05.12.2017
A shocking report on the apparent slave trade in migrants trapped in Libya has focused European attention on combatting smugglers. But ‘cracking down’ on migrant networks is not the answer.
Andrew Lebovich
Last week, European and African leaders met in Abidjan for the fifth AU-EU summit, an event meant to mark a turning page in cooperation on the continent. But what was meant to be a much broader series of meetings and discussions has taken on a major focus on migration, one that demonstrates the EU’s ongoing failure to understand the realities of the movements of people. This failure risks exacerbating the problems faced by migrants and would-be migrants in Africa.
The migration issue took on added importance shortly before the summit due to the firestorm internationally (especially within Africa) that followed a CNN report purportedly documenting slave markets for migrants held in Libya. The report sent shockwaves through the Sahel and Europe, as regional presidents summoned Libyan ambassadors for explanations and hundreds of sub-Saharan migrants were repatriated from the country.