Libya is under renewed international scrutiny following explosive allegations of modern-day slavery, sexual exploitation, and systemic workplace abuse at its embassy in Kampala, Uganda.
The scandal centers on Ambassador Ibrahim Ahmed O. Sultan, who stands accused of orchestrating or enabling deeply abusive practices against local Ugandan staff, particularly young female employees.
Ms. Oyella Suzan, a senior administrative secretary at the embassy from 2017 until her abrupt dismissal in late 2024, has brought forward a formal complaint supported by legal documents and correspondence.
She alleges that the ambassador fostered a hostile, exploitative work environment and retaliated against her for defending junior staff subjected to sexual coercion.
According to Oyella, female staff were pressured into “intimate relations” with senior Libyan diplomats or their associates. When she attempted to advocate on their behalf, she was accused of insubordination and dismissed without receiving her legally entitled National Social Security Fund contributions under Ugandan labor law.
Her case has triggered formal responses from both Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Libya’s own Foreign Affairs Directorate. Letters from Tripoli, included in her legal petition, indicate that the Libyan government had ordered her contract to be renewed — an instruction Ambassador Sultan reportedly ignored. To date, no official disciplinary measures have been taken.
Libyan civil society groups have expressed outrage at the allegations. Human rights advocates within the country have called for an internal investigation, warning that failure to address such serious misconduct would further tarnish Libya’s diplomatic image, already burdened by past controversies involving the abuse of African migrants.
This isn’t the first time Libya’s treatment of African nationals has come under fire. In 2017, Ugandan activists protested outside the Libyan Embassy in Kampala over reports of African migrants being trafficked through Libya.
