Libya Rejects EU Migrant Plan

Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed al-Taher Siala declared on October 19 that the country would reject a European Union plan to establish migrant centers in the country. Proposed by the European Union in June, the plan would set up “disembarkation centers” throughout North Africa to screen those seeking asylum in European countries. It was designed to help European governments handle the influx of over a million refugees since 2015 by processing the migrants outside of EU territory. Libya is a main departure point for migrants trying to reach Europe.

Italy, a main point of entry to the continent for Africans seeking asylum from poverty and violence, promoted the plan.

In July, Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj told German online newspaper Picture that his country was “absolutely opposed” to the EU plan, saying that Libya lacks the technical and financial support needed to accommodate migrants attempting to enter Europe.

Siala’s remarks confirmed and clarified this position. On a visit to Vienna last week, Siala told an Austrian newspaper that other North African countries—Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco—reject the EU proposal as well.

Siala said his government has been working with other African leaders to help send the estimated 30,000 migrants currently residing illegally in Libya back to their countries of origin. He admitted, however, that this work is often met with resistance: these home countries, including many in West Africa, frequently refuse to take their displaced citizens back.

EU and Arab League leaders are set to hold talks in Egypt in February to further discuss the issue of illegal migration and to seek alternative solutions. Members of the Arab League include countries in Northern Africa, as well as the Middle East and the Gulf. The EU is aiming for a solution that will promote development in sub-Saharan African and ease the conditions that are the root cause of migration.