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🛒 تسوق الآنEU Urged to End Abusive Migration Cooperation with Libyan Authorities
EU Urged to End Abusive Migration Cooperation with Libyan Authorities
31 Rights Groups Condemn EU-Libya Migration Deal as Abuses Mount
A coalition of 31 international civil society organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, has called on the European Union and its member states to immediately end their migration cooperation with Libyan authorities. In a joint statement released on July 17, 2026, the groups described the partnership as "shameful" and warned that it enables widespread human rights abuses against refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants.
The call comes as the EU considers expanding its cooperation with rival authorities in both eastern and western Libya, a move that rights groups say would deepen the crisis rather than resolve it.
Pattern of Systematic Abuse
According to the joint statement, long-standing and systematic human rights abuses by both Libyan factions against migrants and refugees have been documented with impunity. Detention centers across Libya remain overcrowded, with detainees subjected to torture, forced labor, and extortion. The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) has faced repeated criticism for its role in returning intercepted migrants to Libyan authorities, effectively outsourcing border control to a country with no functional asylum system.
Libya has not signed the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, meaning there is no legal framework for refugee protection in the country. Despite this, EU funding has continued to flow to the Libyan Coast Guard and Directorate for Combating Illegal Migration, both of which have been implicated in abuses.
Attacks on Search and Rescue Operations
The rights groups highlighted repeated attacks by Libyan forces against Search and Rescue (SAR) NGOs operating in the Mediterranean Sea. These attacks have included the seizure of vessels, intimidation of crews, and the deliberate obstruction of life-saving operations. The coalition warned that plans to strengthen cooperation with Libyan authorities would only escalate these dangers.
"The EU's approach has not deterred migration — it has merely diverted refugees into the hands of armed groups where they face torture, enslavement, and death," the organizations stated.
EU Funding Under Scrutiny
The European Union has invested hundreds of millions of euros into Libya's migration management since 2015, including through the EU Trust Fund for Africa and the Emergency Trust Fund for stability. However, independent investigations have repeatedly documented how this funding has failed to improve conditions for migrants and has instead bolstered abusive institutions.
In 2023, the European Court of Auditors found that EU migration programs in Libya lacked proper monitoring and results measurement. The new joint statement argues that three years later, little has changed.
Broader Implications for North Africa
The crisis in Libya mirrors similar patterns across the region. Rights groups have raised parallel concerns about EU migration cooperation with Tunisia, where a separate joint statement issued in 2026 warned that EU funding was fueling human rights violations. Analysts argue that the EU has adopted an increasingly transactional approach to migration, prioritizing containment over human rights.
For Libya, the situation is particularly severe. The country remains divided between competing governments in Tripoli and Benghazi, both of which have used migration control as a bargaining chip in international negotiations. Migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia are often caught in the middle, facing arbitrary detention, deportation, and violence from all sides.
What the Coalition Demands
The 31 organizations demand that the EU and its member states:
- Immediately suspend all cooperation with Libyan authorities on migration control
- End funding to the Libyan Coast Guard and detention center authorities
- Establish independent monitoring of EU migration programs across the region
- Create safe and legal pathways for asylum seekers to reach Europe
- Support UN-led efforts for a political solution in Libya that prioritizes human rights
"The EU cannot claim to champion human rights while bankrolling abuse in Libya," the coalition concluded. "Ending this cooperation is not just a legal obligation — it is a moral one."
— Libya Press / News Desk
