Thread by @matteodebellis

THREAD/ During the past two weeks I interviewed people who had fled Libya and crossed the border into Tunisia, and then I flew to Berlin for meetings with senior officials and MPs. Here my take on the current situation in Libya and the central Med. 1/14

People we met in Tunisia confirmed dramatic situation in detention centres in Libya. The story of a new-born baby girl returned by Libyan Coast Guard to Libya, who spent her life in a det centre & died there when 8-months old, will be a thorn in my heart for a long time. 2/14

Detention centres are holding almost only people intercepted at sea by EU-backed Libyan Coast Guard. If EU states want to stop being complicit in beatings & rapes of women, men & children, then must require Libya to close detention centres. channel4.com/news/torture-a… 3/14

Some European MPs seem ready to mobilize to push for the closure of detention centres in Libya. We need more representatives to fight for this crucial objective across more countries. @FrankSchwabe @michel_brandt_ @KLeikert 4/14

Refugees, who cannot accept “voluntary” return offered by @IOM_Libya, spend years in limbo, in cruel conditions. They should be resettled elsewhere, but the low number of resettlements offered by EU countries (e.g. Germany has 300 for Libya/Niger) is far from matching needs. 5/14

Many refugees say @UNHCRLibya could not help them. This is due to few resettlements but also to restrictions imposed by Libya, incl on use of new “gathering facility” in Tripoli. EU bet political capital on a centre that's not being used, while people languish in detention. 6/14

With no hope for release from cruel detention centres, even people from countries like Eritrea are pushed to consider returning, despite obvious risks. The EU is happy to pay the bill, as long as we call them “voluntary” returns.

https://twitter.com/sallyhayd/status/1097524648475066368

7/14

An anglophone law graduate from Cameroon showed me pics of people killed in his village, reminding me of many conflicts & persecutions pushing people to flee, beyond those on media. Far too often protection needs are discarded because of nationality. amnesty.org/en/countries/a… 8/14

Closed sea route explains why some people and families are now fleeing Libya into Tunisia, often crossing the border on foot. The numbers are still very low, but already stretching Tunisia’s current capacity. Situation needs watching. 9/14

In Europe many agree w urgency to set up a mechanism for disembarkation & relocation across Europe of asylum-seekers rescued in the Med. This would avoid new situations where rescue ships are left at sea for weeks with no EU country willing to assist amnesty.org/en/latest/camp… 10/14

Negotiations are difficult, as countries are divided on who should benefit from relocation. The mechanism will fly only if simple & in line w current laws. This means NO detention and NO status determination before relocation. Best proposal on table: ecre.org/wp-content/upl… 11/14

Fate of #opSophia hinges on this negotiation, but time is running out. Contradictions of the operation well depicted by @notzachcampbell:
politico.eu/article/europe… Note: end of Sophia = even less rescue capacity & end of only existing mechanism to monitor Libyan Coast Guard 12/14

Meanwhile, following the example of @ItalyinLibya, #France plans to donate 6 ships to the Libyan Coast Guard, apparently without conditioning its cooperation on radical improvements in the treatment of refugees and migrants. lemonde.fr/international/… 13/14

All in all, European governments keep focus on stopping people in Libya. But, as arrivals through central Med are now at a minimum, this is the time to push for change:
- end of detention in Libya
- disembarkation & relocation mechanism in Europe
- safe & legal pathways. 14/14