The United Kingdom has struck a £1 million (1.17 million euros) deal with Libya aimed at combating irregular migration arrivals into Europe by deterring migrants from crossing the Mediterranean Sea and facilitating their voluntary repatriation to their countries of origin. The announcement came after Michael Tomlinson, Britain’s Home Office Minister, concluded a visit to Tripoli last week with representatives from the European Union, the United Nations, France, Germany, and Malta. Tomlinson is the first UK home office minister to visit the North African country in decades.
Tomlinson stated that the funding, amounting to £1 million, will not only support survivors of human trafficking but will also assist migrants who choose to return voluntarily to their countries of origin, which he described as “one of the most fundamental tools at our disposal for driving down migration numbers globally.” The International Organization for Migration (IOM) defines voluntary returns as the “assisted or independent return to the country of origin, transit or another country based on the voluntary decision of the returnee.”
Libya has long been a major launching pad for migrants attempting to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea. The previous year saw record-high arrivals in Europe from North Africa, with over 150,000 migrants reaching Italy by sea. Libya alone saw nearly 40,000 arrivals in Europe.
Tomlinson emphasized the UK’s commitment to bolstering international efforts to address this global challenge, citing the recent deal with Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, as well as agreements with other countries like Vietnam and Albania. Last month, the UK also announced a new working arrangement with Frontex to crack down on people-smuggling networks by strengthening the agency’s border capabilities.
In addition to Libya, the UK has pledged a £3 million deal with Turkey to construct a new center to coordinate joint operations between the UK and the Turkish border patrol, as Turkey is reportedly the starting point for 90 percent of the small boats attempting to enter the UK by crossing the English Channel. Last year, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak penned similar bilateral agreements with Belgium, Bulgaria, and Serbia.
However, the UK and Libya alliance has faced criticism from human rights groups, who have widely condemned Europe for outsourcing their migration policies to African countries with a record of human rights abuses, such as Libya. In January, Human Rights Watch released a report revealing the dire conditions faced by migrants and asylum seekers in Libya, including torture, forced labor, and sexual assault. After a fact-finding mission in Libya last year, the UN Human Rights Council declared that there are “reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity have been committed against Libyans and migrants throughout Libya since 2016.”
The situation in Libya has been particularly dire since the country spiraled into chaos after Muammar Gaddafi’s removal in 2011, plunging into a failed state with two rival political administrations controlled by militias. Libya has faced persistent condemnation from human rights organizations for widespread human rights violations and unchecked actions by the government. In September, cyclone Daniel pummeled northeast Libya, causing massive flooding that killed more than 4,000 people and displacing more than 40,000 others, including many migrants.
With an estimated 600,000 migrants stranded in Libya, according to the IOM, the UK’s deal with Libya raises concerns about the potential human rights implications and the ethical implications of outsourcing migration management to a country with a documented history of human rights abuses and a fragile governance structure.