Slavery in Libya: AU must show leadership – Ablakwa

The Minority’s spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has asked the African Union (AU) to intervene in the situation in Libya where illegal West African migrants are being sold as slaves.

It has been widely reported that hundreds of Africans are being auctioned in modern day slave markets in Libya for $400 per person as Libya is the main transit hub for illegal immigrants and refugees seeking to reach Europe.

Some of these laves are being tortured in detention camps in the North African Country.

Speaking on this development in an interview with Chief Jerry Forson, host of the Ghana Yensom show on Accra 100.5FM on Wednesday November 29, Mr Ablakwa who is also Member of Parliament for North Tongu, said: “…The other issue that we must raise strongly is that the African Union must intervene because we are all human beings, whether or not Ghanaians are part of this happenings, as human beings we must all be horrified by this and African leaders must take the lead.

“It will be really nice that this being an African problem Africans were able to solve it, I am surprised that so far the African Union hasn’t called an emergency meeting of the Heads of States to consider all the options on the table which must include sanctions on Libya, which must include military intervention to raid those detention centres.

“CNN has documented nine detention centres and it will really be nice and expedient that an AU backed force will move in and let us rescue these migrants.

“No human being deserves to be in there for even one second, the treatment is unbelievable, and unimaginable and horror and so we need the African Union to show leadership.”