Amnesty International has criticised the European Union’s plans to expand cooperation with Libya on migration, accusing both Libyan authorities and the EU of contributing to worsening abuses against migrants and refugees.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the rights organisation said Libya’s rival administrations in the west and east have intensified crackdowns on migrants while promoting anti-migrant rhetoric. Amnesty argued that the EU’s efforts to strengthen migration cooperation come at a time when migrants are facing mass arrests, arbitrary detention and collective expulsions.
Libya remains one of the main departure points for migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. Since the overthrow of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, the country has experienced prolonged political instability and division, creating conditions that have fuelled human trafficking and abuses against migrants, according to the United Nations and international organisations.
Amnesty said the EU is considering establishing a Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in the eastern city of Benghazi as part of its cooperation with eastern Libyan authorities.
Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said the EU was already “complicit in horrific violations and abuses” through its financial support for the Libyan coast guard, which frequently intercepts migrant boats in the Mediterranean.
Amnesty called on the EU and its member states to suspend policies aimed at containing migration in Libya, arguing that they trap migrants and refugees in cycles of abuse.
Migration has become an increasingly sensitive issue inside Libya. Earlier this month, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the headquarters of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Tripoli to protest against the presence of irregular migrants and refugees in the country.
According to the International Organization for Migration, around 900,000 migrants and refugees were living in Libya as of mid-2024.