Amnesty International has strongly criticized the European Union’s plans to deepen migration cooperation with Libya, accusing the bloc of working with authorities that are intensifying crackdowns on migrants and refugees.
The human rights organization said both Libya’s internationally recognized government in Tripoli and the rival eastern-based administration have escalated actions against migrants while fueling anti-migrant sentiment through what it described as xenophobic and racist rhetoric.
Libya remains one of the primary departure points for migrants and asylum seekers attempting the dangerous Mediterranean crossing to Europe. However, years of political instability and division have left many migrants vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking networks operating across the country.
According to Amnesty International, the EU is seeking to establish a Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in the eastern city of Benghazi as part of broader efforts to strengthen migration management and border control cooperation with Libyan authorities.
The organization warned that expanding collaboration with Libyan groups accused of serious human rights violations could worsen the plight of migrants. Amnesty’s Deputy Regional Director, Diana Eltahawy, argued that the EU is already implicated in abuses through its financial support for the Libyan coast guard, which frequently intercepts migrant boats attempting to reach European shores.
Eltahawy said extending cooperation to eastern-based armed groups with records of alleged war crimes and human rights abuses demonstrates a disregard for international law and human dignity. She urged the EU and its member states to suspend policies aimed at containing migrants in Libya, claiming such measures trap vulnerable people in cycles of abuse and exploitation.
Since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that led to the fall of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has remained divided between rival administrations in the west and east. The prolonged instability has contributed to widespread insecurity and created conditions that enable human trafficking and migrant exploitation.
Migration has become an increasingly sensitive issue within Libya itself. Earlier this month, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the headquarters of the United Nations refugee agency in Tripoli, calling for irregular migrants and refugees to leave the country.
The International Organization for Migration estimated that approximately 900,000 migrants and refugees were living in Libya as of mid-2024, highlighting the scale of the migration challenge facing both Libya and Europe.
