Libyan ambassador Elhabib Alamin has denounced any form of slavery which is occurring in his country. He insisted that his homeland respects diversity and people from different countries.
Addressing a press conference this afternoon at the Libyan Embassy in Balzan, the Ambassador spoke to journalists about the recent news reports emerging from parts of Libya showing slave traders selling African migrants for slave work. The videos spread across the social media and international news agencies have followed the story in depth to shed light on this modern day slavery happening a few kilometres away from our country.
“Whatever mistreatment is happening, it does not represent the behaviour of the Libyan people. These slave traders are criminals. They even target Libyan children. There are criminals and gangs who commit a lot of crimes in Libya,” the Ambassador said.
The ambassador insisted that his government believes in diversity and that Libyans have millions of dollars invested in all of Africa. He also highlighted the fact that many African embassies in Libya do not cooperate with solving the migration issues in Libya.
“We don’t believe that building walls is a morally good thing to do and does not solve any problems”, he added.
“African nationals have been living in our country for tens of years. They are respected and the Libyan people do not believe in slavery. We need the international community to understand before making any accusations. I am hopeful that things will be solved when the government situation in Libya is more stable.”
The ambassador said that despite the situation, it has to be made clear that no country can force another to change its laws. He referred to recent declarations by international communities to have migrants become residents of the country.
He also referred to the fact that the African countries have failed to make a declaration or warning to its citizens not to travel to Libya because of certain dangers. The Embassy of Ghana in Libya has also denied that there is any slavery for Ghanaian citizens in Libya.
The ambassador said that the videos which are circulating online are being investigated. He said that the government has called for a full investigation by the Attorney General of Libya. The Minister of Justice in Libya has also publicly denounced such alleged behaviour. The same minister has called on international community not to use such events for political purposes.
“The road is clear. We need to stop the terrorism and the civil political conflict in Libya. There are two governments, one is recognised, other is not. There’s no money and the health system has collapsed. We have an agreement with Italy or France separately. Europe is not united to solve this problem,” he added while referring to international help.
“We should be spending money in Africa not throw it into the sea. Africans leave their country to improve their life and chances to survive. Throughout the history, it has been a natural process for people to move when they look for better life. So we need to work in the country of origin.”
He then warned against other videos, not the ones posted by CNN, which were deemed false and for the international community to be careful before judging.
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