Migrants will keep coming from Libya to Europe in huge numbers unless the EU rethinks its misguided foreign policy – RT
As European leaders focus on tougher border security to address mass migration from Libya, they are ignoring the main culprit for this problem: the destabilizing effect of EU foreign policy in a country already wracked by war.
Over the past week mostly over the span of just a single day 2,000 new migrants to Europe have crowded Italys first-entry point on the small island of Lampedusa, in and around a reception center that can only hold 200 people.
The migrants have come mainly from Libya, a country in focus as a target recipient of expensive, highly controversial EU migration-control funding. Yet, as European politicians again wrangle over what to do with the new arrivals, they ought to be considering how their unsustainable migration-control programs in war-torn Libya actually worsen the problem.
This controversy has come increasingly into the spotlight with the publication on Monday of an internal document of the EUs Council of Ministers, released under a freedom-of-information request, that has revealed major fault lines among EU member states on how to deport the large numbers of rejected asylum seekers from Libya and other non-EU countries.
Detailing a January meeting of the IMEX (Expulsion) Working Party on the EUs new proposals for returning irregular migrants to their countries of origin, the report recounts ongoing efforts by the European Commission to create the position of return coordinator liaising with Frontex, the EUs border agency, to implement bloc-wide returns of illegal migrants whose asylum applications never materialize or are rejected.
Under the current proposals, an EU country could choose to fund the deportation of failed asylum seekers instead of taking them in, but if the deportations did not happen within eight months, that country would have to transfer the migrants to its own territory.
The report goes on to point out that frontline member states, which presumably include Italy, considered that eight months was too long for the time allotted to arrange the deportation of a failed asylum seeker in the EU, citing the argument that only a shorter deadline can guarantee that they do not abscond.
But the dangerous spiral of high-volume irregular migration coupled with complicated deportation enforcement really begins abroad, thanks to a single-minded EU obsession with curtailing migration rather than addressing its root causes. This thinking spurs EU officials to bribe authoritarian regimes under the guise of humanitarian aid, merely to stem the flow of migrants, while doing little if anything for their meaningful reintegration into their countries of origin.
Libya is now the burning fuse threatening to explode this misguided EU foreign policy into further cynical backlash over what to do about migration in domestic European politics. On the front line, Lampedusas mayor Salvatore Martello claims the Libyan government has turned on the taps in letting more migrants cross over to Italy, referencing the recent prevalence of big dinghies and fishing boats bringing 300 migrants or more each. The steel-hulled boats, significantly larger and sturdier than the rubber dinghies in wide use earlier, require port clearance to embark on the Mediterranean Sea, which could indicate the complicity of Libyan authorities.
Further exacerbating this situation is the stark reality that several factions armed to the teeth are currently contesting full sovereignty over Libya, with migrants often held hostage to the resulting political and military hostilities. Rebel warlord General Khalifa Haftar currently controls a large swath of eastern Libyan territory, while in the west, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, leader of the Government of National Unity (GNU) nominally running Libya with UN endorsement, holds a seat of power in the capital, Tripoli. Although Dbeibeh has the official support of the EU, granular complexity emerges beneath the surface: France, for one, is alleged to be among the countries supporting Haftar militarily.
But the whirlpool of Libyan civil strife is immensely complicated by the running battle that Haftar, chiefly backed by the UAE and Egypt, is fighting with Islamist militias threatening his and the unity governments bid for full authority militias that are heavily involved in the illegal smuggling networks sending migrants to Italy.
If Martellos accusations are true, they could point to the possibility of two warring sides both turning the spigot of migration on for different ends. The GNU might be trying to raise its price for the increased exertions in patrolling its coast, turning migrants back into Libya, and keeping them in a country suffering under enormous humanitarian strains.
As part of EU foreign-aid schemes, 700 million euros have gone to Tripoli over the past several years, some of it paid to equip and train the Libyan coastguard to return migrants attempting a sea crossing to Europe, and some paid to keep the returnees in Libyan detention centers. Since 2017, the Tripoli government has been implementing its side of the deal, but with an economy that contracted by over 30% amid the ravages of Covid-19 in 2020, Dbeibeh may think playing the migration card is a way to obtain an economic stimulus from Brussels via foreign aid that cannot be obtained elsewhere.
The Islamist militias threatening both Dbeibeh and Haftar, however, may themselves be escalating the migration outflow for their own designs, and in doing so they have a powerful motive. According to Italys intelligence service, 70,000 migrants-in-waiting in Libya are gearing up to attempt the Mediterranean crossing into Europe, with the new arrivals from Libya to Italy having already tripled from roughly 4,000 in the first part of 2020 to 13,000 in the first part of 2021. That type of demand creates opportunity and leverage for the militia-controlled smuggling networks on the Libyan coast.
As the militias have seen their interests marginalized by the government in Tripoli, keeping their migrant-smuggling operations going at full tilt has become a means not only of revenue but also of political protest an attempt to erode the legitimacy of a government that, with millions in EU aid money, is supposed to be bolstering the protection and assistance of migrants, refugees, and internally displaced people yet has little to show for it.
Still, Brussels keeps focusing on returns, but not real amelioration of the security situation that has caused migrants to flee. Once illegal migrants are returned to Libya with EU funding and assistance, European concern largely ends there, even though subsequently many returnees face unlawful detention, torture, starvation, and even slavery, in a vortex of human-rights abuses which all sides in the conflict have been accused of perpetrating giving the migrants more of a reason than before to attempt the crossing into Europe again.
Many of the migrant detention centers in Libya for returnees, supported by part of the 455 million-euro EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, have actually been little more than prisons on militia bases, where detained migrants have sometimes been forced at gunpoint to manufacture weapons for their Islamist captors.
One such center in Tajoura was hit by a Haftar-ordered airstrike in 2019 that killed over 50 migrants, even though the Libyan general knew in advance the coordinates of all detention centers in the country, thanks to information supplied to his forces by the International Organization for Migration. Yet, even after the airstrike, returnees were still sent to Tajoura under the aegis of EU aid funds.
In the EU, domestic grabs to take advantage of the situation politically and efforts to streamline deportations can help rally voters, but they stop short of remodeling the root of the problem.
Citing a 9% decline in the Italian economy in 2020 caused by the pandemic, League party leader Matteo Salvini has argued for stricter border-control measures from Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, leader of the coalition government in which the League is a member. With millions of Italians in economic difficulty, we cannot look after thousands of clandestine migrants, he said.
Giorgia Meloni is attempting to outflank her rival Salvini on the Italian right, having demanded a naval blockade to halt the operations of migrant smugglers off the Libyan coast.
Even Michel Barnier, the EUs former lead Brexit negotiator, has entered the fray in a bid to help the center-right Les Republicains in forthcoming French elections by calling on the EU to suspend immigration from non-EU countries for up to five years.
But promoting stricter migration control policies at home while funding authoritarian elements to pick up the slack on that policy abroad has already contributed to a human rights fiasco in Libya. It is easy for European politicians to score political points by playing up the border security implications of the dilemma. It is tougher, but more necessary, for them to examine the ways in which the EUs foreign policies have fed the migration crisis placing returned migrants in a Libyan security quagmire so severe that braving the perilous journey to Lampedusa is deemed less dangerous.
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.
Read the original post:
Migrants will keep coming from Libya to Europe in huge numbers unless the EU rethinks its misguided foreign policy - RT
- Libya's reconstruction of Derna: 'A windfall for the Haftar clan' - Le Monde - September 21st, 2024 [September 21st, 2024]
- Court convicts former ambassadors, health officials, and cultural attachs at Libyan mission in Ukraine - Libya Herald - September 21st, 2024 [September 21st, 2024]
- Libyan European Transport Forum takes place in Tunis from 19 to 20 September - Libya Herald - September 21st, 2024 [September 21st, 2024]
- Sudan Situation: Sudanese Refugees and Asylum-Seekers in Libya - As of 15 Sep 2024 - ReliefWeb - September 21st, 2024 [September 21st, 2024]
- Egypt follows deadly overturning incident of vehicle carrying Egyptians in Libya - Egypt Today - September 21st, 2024 [September 21st, 2024]
- From Russia to Libya: Israel Has Adopted the Appalling Practice of Drafting Asylum Seekers - Haaretz - September 16th, 2024 [September 16th, 2024]
- With reconstruction in mind, can Turkey-Egypt thaw offer lifeline for Libya? - Al-Monitor - September 16th, 2024 [September 16th, 2024]
- FIFA Futsal World Cup: Libya emerge victorious, Angola stumble in opening ties. - CAFOnline.com - September 16th, 2024 [September 16th, 2024]
- Libya's central bank chaos must serve as a wake-up call for the West - Euronews - September 14th, 2024 [September 14th, 2024]
- One year since flooding devastated Libya - WBUR News - September 14th, 2024 [September 14th, 2024]
- Civil society should work together to be the drivers of change and overcome the divide in Libya, says USG DiCarlo [EN/AR] - ReliefWeb - September 14th, 2024 [September 14th, 2024]
- EU EXTERNAL PARTNERS: Frontex Denies Involvement in Pushbacks and Defends 400 Million Expansion Tender Thousands Pushed Back to Niger from Algeria... - September 14th, 2024 [September 14th, 2024]
- One-Year Commemoration of the Eastern Libya Floods - UNICEF - September 14th, 2024 [September 14th, 2024]
- Internal Shadows: The Unseen Plights of Libya's IDPs - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - September 14th, 2024 [September 14th, 2024]
- Focus - Libya: One year after deadly floods, reconstruction in full swing in Derna - FRANCE 24 English - September 12th, 2024 [September 12th, 2024]
- Libya's Derna floods: Mourning a year later the loss of mums, dads and kids - BBC.com - September 12th, 2024 [September 12th, 2024]
- Turkey interested in Libya's offer of offshore exploration, says energy minister - Reuters - September 12th, 2024 [September 12th, 2024]
- A year on, Libya flood survivors grieve for their dead - Reuters - September 12th, 2024 [September 12th, 2024]
- Libya, EIA forecasts oil production of 600.000 barrels in the remaining months of 2024 - Agenzia Nova - September 12th, 2024 [September 12th, 2024]
- UNICEF Fact sheet: One - Year commemoration of the Eastern Libya floods [EN/AR] - ReliefWeb - September 12th, 2024 [September 12th, 2024]
- Goals and summary of the Benin 2-1 Libya in the Qualifiers CAF - VAVEL.com - September 12th, 2024 [September 12th, 2024]
- Libya is a step further towards adapting to climate change: GIZ - Libya Herald - September 12th, 2024 [September 12th, 2024]
- In Libya's Derna, Haftar using reconstruction to boost popularity one year after floods - Middle East Eye - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Top U.S. General Meets With Alleged War Criminal in Libya - The Intercept - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Libya: Internal Security Agency must be held accountable for deaths in custody, enforced disappearances and arbitrary detention - Amnesty... - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- UNICE Fact sheet: One - Year commemoration of the Eastern Libya floods [EN/AR] - ReliefWeb - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Eastern Libya signs MoU to construct its section of the Egypt Libya - Chad Transit Road Project - Libya Herald - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Libya factions agree to appoint central bank governor in bid to ease crisis - Reuters.com - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Never mind the BRICS, focus on Libya - Duvar English - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Libya Construction Expo 2024 will be held from 28 to 31 October at Tripoli International Fairgrounds - Libya Herald - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- AmCham Libya supporting high-level Libyan delegation to WEFTEC 2024 5 to 9 October, New Orleans, Louisiana - Libya Herald - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Libya at the brink of an imminent power crisis due to shortage of fuel - The North Africa Post - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Benin vs Libya Prediction and Betting Tips | 10th September 2024 - Sportskeeda - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Egyptian food exports to Libya amounted to US$ 183 million up to July an increase of 18 percent - Libya Herald - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Turkey Blocks Libya Arms Inspection For 12th Time, Raising Concerns About Commitment To Embargo - GreekCityTimes.com - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Africa News Tonight: China-Africa summit winds down, UN tries to end dispute over Libya central bank, Malawi aims to boost road safety - VOA Africa - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Notorious human trafficker sanctioned by the UN killed in Western Libya - The Jerusalem Post - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Libya central bank governor, other bankers flee to avoid militias, FT says - Reuters - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- Expert predicts revolution in Libya, fears crisis far worse than 2011 - The Jerusalem Post - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- Libya: UN report urges accountability for years of human rights violations in Tarhuna - OHCHR - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- Africa File, August 29, 2024: North African Competition in the Sahel; Libya on the Edge; Burkina Faso is Spiraling - Institute for the Study of War - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- 'Crumbling': Libya's warring factions dig in for fight over oil profits - Middle East Eye - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- Oil Drops in Technical Correction From Rally on Libya Disruption - Yahoo Finance - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- Libya upheaval: Why Turkey is mum over heightened tensions in Tripoli - Al-Monitor - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- Libya: The President of the Senate asks to shed light on the death of Bija - Agenzia Nova - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- Libya : Ousted central bank governor flees with the keys - Africa Intelligence - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- U.S. calls for steps to maintain the credibility of the CBL - Libya Herald - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- U.S. crude oil rebounds nearly 2% on major supply disruption in Libya and Iraq output cut - CNBC - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- Libya: Italian cuisine protagonist of the Mena Agro Food Expo 2024 in Benghazi - Agenzia Nova - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- Is there an end in sight for the Libya oil crisis? - The National - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- All of Libya Held Hostage by Gunmen Targeting the Central Bank - The Washington Institute - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- Sophie Kemkhadze joins as the new Resident Representative in Libya - United Nations Development Programme - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- EU official targets Trkiye over growing influence in Africa, Libya - Trkiye Today - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- Libya's instability will worsen further without a unified government and elections, UN envoy says - The Associated Press - August 22nd, 2024 [August 22nd, 2024]
- Will turmoil in Libya spill over into the region? - Al Jazeera English - August 22nd, 2024 [August 22nd, 2024]
- Libya: Behind abduction and failed central bank coup in Tripoli - Al-Monitor - August 22nd, 2024 [August 22nd, 2024]
- UN officials warn of further instability in Libya without elections soon - The Jerusalem Post - August 22nd, 2024 [August 22nd, 2024]
- Production at Libya's Sharara oilfield rises to 85,000 bpd to supply refinery, sources say - Reuters - August 22nd, 2024 [August 22nd, 2024]
- Small volumes of gas flowing to Italy from Libya - MEED - August 22nd, 2024 [August 22nd, 2024]
- Libya: the Brega oil company distributes fuel to citizens affected by floods in the south - Agenzia Nova - August 22nd, 2024 [August 22nd, 2024]
- Libyan Industry Union organises workshop on Libyan Industrial Exports - Reality and Prospects - Libya Herald - August 22nd, 2024 [August 22nd, 2024]
- Conflict Is Brewing in Libya Once Again - OilPrice.com - August 22nd, 2024 [August 22nd, 2024]
- Libya's Almadar Aljadid, Vox Solutions ink SMS and voice gateway deal - Connecting Africa - August 22nd, 2024 [August 22nd, 2024]
- UN warns of rapidly deteriorating situation in Libya - Morning Star Online - August 22nd, 2024 [August 22nd, 2024]
- Arbitrary detentions and impunity widespread in Libya, warns UNs Trk - Welcome to the United Nations - July 10th, 2024 [July 10th, 2024]
- Mass Graves of Migrants in Libya: An End to a Dream for a Better Life in Europe - Asharq Al-awsat - English - July 10th, 2024 [July 10th, 2024]
- Marshal Haftar Meets with Greek Ambassador to Strengthen Bilateral Relations - Libya Update - July 10th, 2024 [July 10th, 2024]
- Morocco And The UN: Paving The Path To Peace In Libya OpEd - Eurasia Review - July 10th, 2024 [July 10th, 2024]
- Libya and Russia discuss reactivating the construction of the railway project - Libya Herald - July 10th, 2024 [July 10th, 2024]
- UN probing reported mass grave on Libya-Tunisia border - Yahoo! Voices - July 10th, 2024 [July 10th, 2024]
- NDA Partners with Turkish Firm TGG to Construct Modern Tower Complex in Benghazi - Libya Update - July 10th, 2024 [July 10th, 2024]
- Efforts to increase trade between Indonesia and Libya - Libya Herald - July 10th, 2024 [July 10th, 2024]
- EU says ready to support Libya's efforts to achieve peace and transitional justice - The Libya Observer - July 10th, 2024 [July 10th, 2024]
- AmCham Libya hosts meetings during recent visit of U.S. Embassy Commercial and Economic Officer David Morrison - Libya Herald - July 8th, 2024 [July 8th, 2024]
- Spanish doctors visit Libya in their 12th campaign 500 surgeries would have been performed since 2022 - Libya Herald - July 8th, 2024 [July 8th, 2024]
- Libyan olive oil wins gold and silver in U.S. olive oil competition - Libya Herald - July 8th, 2024 [July 8th, 2024]
- As fighting rages in Sudan, refugee aid efforts expand to two new countries - ReliefWeb - July 8th, 2024 [July 8th, 2024]
- Libya's special envoy resigned. What's next for the country? - Atlantic Council - May 27th, 2024 [May 27th, 2024]
- Comment: The IVECO-TbCo impasse was resolved by hard work and determination to continue a business relationship ... - Libya Herald - May 27th, 2024 [May 27th, 2024]
- Two Libyan olive oil brands win gold at Athens International Olive Oil Competition 2024 - Libya Herald - May 27th, 2024 [May 27th, 2024]