On Wednesday, the European Union Foreign Affairs spokesman, Peter Stano, said that solving the Libyan conflict is the primary solution to overcoming the problem of illegal migration. He stressed that the EU’s top priority in Libya is to work on ending the escalating tensions in the North African country.
The Italian ‘Aki’ news agency reported that the EU official’s statements came in response to a report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The report shed light on the appalling conditions faced by migrants during their journey from their countries of origin, to Europe through several African countries, including Libya.
The Italian agency added that the EU is trying to clear itself from blame by confirming that it has never said that Libya was a safe country, to return migrants. However, the UN report accused members of the Libyan Coast Guard of returning migrants to Libya and abusing them.
Stano pointed out that solving the current conflict in Libya was the only way out of many other problems in the country. He noted that the EU is not a party in Libya, but rather works with all partners, including UNHCR, and Libyan authorities to close the detention centres in Tripoli.
This comes a day after the United Nations High Commission for Refugees announced the killing of three migrants, as they tried to escape after being returned to Libya, the UN migration agency said on Tuesday. Over 6,500 migrants have reportedly been intercepted and brought back to Libya this year.