Flasquote : Trans-Mediterranean Forum on Migration in Tripoli

“On Wednesday 17 July, the Trans-Mediterranean Forum on Migration was held in Tripoli, with representatives from Libya and various European and African countries, among which the Italian Prime Minister Girogia Meloni. Once again, the European Union reaffirmed its commitment to policies that prioritise the abusive and arbitrary detention of migrants in Libya, interceptions and deaths at sea over the protection of human lives.

In 2023, the United Nations documented the widespread practice of arbitrary detention, torture, rape and slavery, particularly sexual slavery, and considered that there were reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity were being committed against migrants in the country.

As the conference ended, we remind once again that the policies of outsourcing borders and providing police and military support to third countries such as Libya are not curbing departures to Europe. They just force people to take longer and more dangerous routes. The tragedies we are currently seeing unfold on Europe's borders, including in the Mediterranean, are not a series of unfortunate events, but the consequence of these deliberate political decisions” says Steven Purbrick, MSF Head of Missions of Médecins sans Frontières in Libya.