A HARROWING new investigation has revealed that migrants fleeing to Europe are being rounded up in Tunisia and sold as slaves to Libyan militias, a direct consequence of EU-backed border policies. The report, titled State Trafficking: Expulsion and Sale of Migrants from Tunisia to Libya, exposes a network of forced deportations, human trafficking, and exploitation that has turned Libya into a modern-day slave market.
Migrants sold for as little as £10
According to the report, compiled by leading humanitarian organisations, Tunisian security forces are systematically detaining sub-Saharan migrants before transferring them to Libyan armed groups. Some are sold for as little as £10, while women, often subjected to sexual exploitation, fetch higher prices—up to £75.
Eyewitness testimonies describe harrowing scenes of violence: ‘They took us to the Libyan border. That’s where all the hatred in the world was unleashed. They beat us, they gave us electric shocks.
‘They sold us to the Libyans. We were treated like objects. One of my brothers was sold before my eyes, along with his wife and their one-year-old child.’
Libya: a trafficking hub in chaos
Libya has long been a key transit point for migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean, but its years of lawlessness following the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 have made it a haven for human traffickers. The country is now divided between the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) in the west and rival authorities in the east, creating an environment where militias operate with impunity.
The report details how Libyan armed groups, including the Libyan Border Guard, profit from detaining and selling migrants. Many victims are taken to Al-Assah prison, a notorious facility where detainees are held for ransom, forced into labor, or resold to criminal networks.
EU and Italian border policies under fire
The report directly implicates European Union and Italian policies in fuelling these abuses. Over the past decade, the EU has poured millions of euros into training and equipping Libyan and Tunisian border forces to curb migration to Europe. However, these funds are now allegedly being used to detain, traffic, and exploit vulnerable migrants instead.
Since 2017, Italy has allocated nearly €75 million to Tunisia’s border security forces, many of whom are named in the report for their involvement in migrant detentions and forced transfers to Libya. While these measures have reduced Mediterranean crossings by 59%, human rights advocates argue they have come at the cost of widespread human suffering.
Spanish MEP Estrella Galán condemned the EU’s role, stating: ‘It is an appalling act of irresponsibility that European funds are being used to facilitate the trafficking of human beings… reducing lives to mere commodities.’
Torture, forced labour, and ransom demands
Once inside Libya, migrants are imprisoned in squalid detention centres controlled by various militias. Survivors report beatings, starvation, and being forced to work without pay. Militias frequently contact the families of detainees, demanding ransoms in exchange for their release. Those unable to pay are subjected to forced labour, sexual violence, or further trafficking.
Evidence also suggests that migrants are being exchanged for fuel and drugs, further embedding human trafficking into Libya’s vast illicit economy. The lack of governance in Libya has allowed these criminal networks to flourish with near-total impunity.
Global outcry, but no action
Despite repeated reports from international organisations and whistleblowers, the global response to Libya’s migrant crisis has been inadequate. The United Nations, human rights groups, and African governments have condemned the situation, yet little concrete action has been taken to dismantle the trafficking networks or hold complicit officials accountable.
What needs to change?
The report calls for urgent reforms to stop the exploitation of migrants:
- End EU funding of abusive border forces in North Africa until clear human rights protections are in place.
- Establish independent oversight mechanisms to monitor how migration funds are used.
- Impose sanctions on militias and officials profiting from human trafficking.
- Increase legal migration pathways to reduce the desperation driving people into the hands of traffickers.
As Libya remains in turmoil, the fate of thousands of migrants hangs in the balance. Without immediate action, the country’s modern-day slave trade will continue to flourish—fuelled by international neglect and policies that prioritise border control over human lives.
This shocking investigation underscores the urgent need for global intervention to dismantle the Libya migrant slave trade and protect vulnerable people from systemic abuse.
