Migration from Libya down but threat of torture, death remains

Despite the European Union and Libya cutting a deal last February to prevent people from making the perilous journey to Europe, over 3,000 migrants and refugees perished at sea in 2017. A year later, Libya holds thousands of migrants captive under terrible conditions while others still die at sea, according to an Oxfam report published Feb. 1.

As recently as Feb. 2, 90 people drowned after a boat capsized off the coast of Libya.

The danger at sea is matched by horrors on land. Oxfam interviewed 158 migrants who had been in Libya last August and found that 84% had been subjected to “degrading and inhumane treatment, extreme violence or torture in Libya,” while a further 74% had “witnessed people being murdered or tortured.” Oxfam gathered new testimonies in January from Sicily and found that little had changed.

Despite the danger, many migrants and refugees still head north to Libya for the chance to board a boat set for Italy. The majority are from sub-Saharan African countries, though citizens of South Asian countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh are now entering Africa en route to Europe, too. They all hope to find refuge and work in Europe to build a stable life. Many people from countries like Ghana, Nigeria and Gambia see friends posting glamorous photos on social media of their new lives in Europe. But what they often don’t see is the appalling conditions their compatriots are subjected to if they end up captured in Libya.