Twenty-one Ethiopian migrants repatriated from Libya

Photo credit: Fana BC. Ethiopian migrants stranded in Libya arrived in Addis Ababa on 24 January

TMP – 16/02/2018

Some 21 Ethiopian nationals, including five women, arrived in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on 24 January, after the International Organization for Migrants (IOM) and the Ethiopian government helped evacuate them from Libya.

According to a spokesperson of the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Meles Alem, the group of returnees is the first of several others planned. Travel documents have also been issued to an additional 45 Ethiopians to be repatriated soon from Benghazi and Tripoli.

The spokesperson said that unrest and conflict in Libya has challenged the repatriation process of Ethiopian nationals who are stranded in Libya. However, “the government will continue its effort to repatriate its citizens at any cost,” he said in a statement.

Ethiopia announced its plan to repatriate its citizens from Libya on 7 December, following CNN’s explosive report showing footage of African migrants being sold at slave auctions. The repatriation process was facilitated by the Ethiopian embassy in Cairo, which is issuing the necessary travel documents for stranded migrants in Libya.

Meanwhile, the African Union’s Commission for Social Affairs announced that the African Union is collaborating with partners to repatriate migrants stranded in Libya to their home countries.
African migrants stuck in Libya are often subjected to horrendous brutalities, including kidnap, rape, torture, slave labour and sexual violence.