The Head of the Internal Affairs Committee of the Libyan Parliament, Suleiman Al-Harari, expressed the committee’s rejection of the recent statements of condemnations issued by international organizations and bodies against the Libyan authorities, regarding the immigration crisis.
In press statements, Al-Harari claimed that these organizations and bodies lacked objectivity, and neglected the efforts made by the Libyan authorities to confront illegal immigration, and its repercussions. Al-Hariri accused them of seeking to burden the Libyan state, which is going through extremely difficult circumstances, with this heavy file, “these international bodies neglect the fact that the number of illegal immigrants present in the shelters is very small compared to the thousands who have been given job opportunities in Libya.”
He pointed out that they enjoy the same services available to Libyan citizens, and that Libyan laws criminalize slavery, exploitation, and mistreatment of migrants. He urged the competent authorities to do more to combat human smugglers, and to commit to dealing in accordance with the law.
Al-Harari stressed that the Parliament and its Internal Affairs Committee are closely following up with the Attorney General, and the Ministry of Interior on any abuses that are reported in migration centers, which “remain individual abuses and not systematic abuses.” He indicated that there is a noticeable seriousness from the authorities in improving the conditions of these shelters, in addition to the Parliament’s efforts to reform legislation related to illegal immigration. He stressed their keenness to work with the Coast Guard to improve rescue operations at sea, and to hold any violators accountable in this regard.
The MP noted that there is a major lack of resources allocated to the migration crisis due to the country’s economic conditions, and the fragility of state institutions as a result of the successive crises. He added that international support for Libya is also scarce, with no commitment from donors to their pledges. As well as stressing the importance of reviewing and reorienting international support programs to ensure more effective results, such as improving border management, developing specialized institutions, developing areas of migration paths, reviewing the effectiveness of voluntary return programs for illegal immigrants, and committing to covering their costs.
Al-Harari added that it is necessary to combine all efforts at the regional level, “because the attempt to blame the Libyan side will not ease the crisis, as Libya cannot solve the problem of illegal immigration on behalf of the region, and its economy cannot accommodate these large numbers of illegal immigrants.”
He concluded by saying that many problems could be raised by the process of integrating illegal immigrants in Libya, and expressed his optimism that the stability witnessed by the country will help in dealing with this issue and mitigate its effects on the humanitarian level.