Libya Has Betrayed Africa's Solidarity With Slave Trade

President Akufo-Addo has described as a mockery of African solidarity, the slave auctions of Africans in Libya.

Earlier this month, CNN reported that migrants who use Libya as transit to travel to Europe are being kidnapped and sold as slaves to the highest bidder, a revelation which has sparked concerns in the international community.

The Libyan government has been reported by CNN to have launched an investigation into the matter.

Reacting to the bizarre situation, President Akufo-Addo posted on his Twitter account Tuesday evening that, the situation mocks the very bond that binds African countries together.

“The current slave auctions of Africans in Libya are not only gross and scandalous abuses of human rights, but are also mockeries of the alleged solidarity of African nations grouped in the African Union (AU), of which Libya is a member”, the post said.

Some 168 Ghanaians were early on reported to be caught up in the barbarous situation but authorities have confirmed that these Ghanaians are being kept in formal detention centers in Libya due to non-possession of proper travel documents and are awaiting deportation.

In a statement Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry said the detainees were arrested on “illegal immigration charges and were already being held in detention camps.”

Foreign Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway told Kojo Yankson on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday that her Ministry is working to re-establish a consulate in Libya to deal with the issue of stranded Ghanaians in Libya.

The embassy in Libya was shut down after Libya collapsed as a state, she said.