Libya opens investigation into migrant 'slave auctions'

20.11.17

Libya opens investigation into migrant 'slave auctions': "Priorities of the investigation are not only to convict those responsible for these inhumane acts, but also to identify the location of those who have been sold in order to bring them to safety and return them to their countries of origin," he added.

Libya has also pledged to return those sold as slaves to their countries of origin.

Earlier on Friday, the African Union urged Libya to investigate the "slave markets" operating in the conflict-torn nation.

Guinean President Alpha Conde, who is also Chairman of the AU, demanded an enquiry and prosecutions relating to what he termed a "despicable trade... from another era".

Senegal's government also expressed its disgust at the abuses, saying on Facebook that the markets constituted a "blight on the conscience of humanity".