Libyan Minister Speaks Out Ahead Of Migration Forum With EU Partners

Ahead of a major summit on irregular migration from Libya to Europe, the interior minister of one of Libya’s two competing governments has spoken out, saying Libya will no longer ‘pay the price’ for migration. His comments are pointed, given the EU’s dependence on, and multi-million dollar support for, Libya’s active role in preventing people from crossing the Mediterranean sea.

Speaking at a press conference, Emad Trabelsi, interior minister of Libya’s Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU), said the upcoming Trans-Mediterranean Migration Forum, which will include delegates from various European nations as well as the European Union itself, will see Libya assert ownership over managing migration in the region.

Trabelsi’s speech was strongly-worded. He said Libya would no longer continue to “pay the price” for the presence of irregular migrants in Libya, according to the Libyan Herald’s characterization.

His assertiveness sets an interesting tone ahead of the forum. For years, the European Union has supplied tens of millions of dollars worth of equipment and training to various Libyan groups, particularly the loosely organized entity known as the Libyan Coast Guard (LCG), in order to help them better patrol the Libyan coast. Nominally, such support is meant to help the LCG manage migration and prevent deaths at sea.

In reality, the partnership is widely understood as a project to prevent irregular migrants from around Africa and further afield reaching European shores, a strategy known as ‘border externalization.’ The EU has long been criticized by human rights and civil society organizations for this arrangement. Among the complaints are that the EU is essentially supporting an organization, the LCG, which comprises myriad criminal and militia groups, something the European Commissioner for Home Affairs herself has acknowledged.

The LCG has been documented endangering, abusing and at times shooting at, people trying to flee Libya from the North coast. Despite, this, EU support continues. As recently as August 2023, the LCG received three new vessels from the EU, nominally to increase rescue capacity. While the EU denies ever giving funding directly to Libyan entities, hundreds of millions of dollars have flowed into the country via Italy.

Libyan militias and other groups appear to benefit from both sides of this arrangement. Many militias associated with Libyan authorities are involved in the smuggling trade itself, meaning that on the one hand they receive money from would-be asylum seekers to get them to Europe, and on the other they receive support from Europe for pulling them back.

A further criticism levelled at this arrangement is the conditions which would-be asylum seekers are subjected to after being returned to Libya at the EU’s behest. Migrants, particularly those from West Africa, are routinely tortured, abused, forced into slavery and subjected to sexual violence in Libyan detention facilities. When speaking to people who have managed to make it out of Libya, the word “hell” is often used to describe their experience there.

Nonetheless, the Libya arrangement is an important part of the EU’s overall externalization strategy, preventing further irregular migration to Europe. Several migration management deals have been signed recently with other North African countries, including Egypt and Mauritania, both worth hundreds of millions of dollars. And there is no sign that such an arrangement will change, given the perceived crisis of irregular immigration putting pressure on European politicians to reduce arrivals.

Given this context, the comments from the Libyan interior minister suggest a growing assertiveness. They signal an interest in demanding more support, be it material or financial, from the EU to continue preventing people trying to cross. Knowing the EU depends on them to keep people from arriving on European shores, they may well now be wondering just how much more valuable this partnership could be.