URGENT CALL FOR ACTION ON THE SUFFERING OF MIGRANTS DETAINEDIN LIBYA

Dear Members of the European Parliament,
Dear Members of the European Commission,
We, the Eritrean Community in Belgium and Eritrean human rights defenders in the Netherlands, write with deep concern
about the continuing suffering of African migrants, including Eritrean refugees and asylum-seekers, who are detained in
Libya. We appreciate the meetings we had with some members of the European Parliament between 09/09/2026 and
11/09/2026 and the large demonstration in front of the European Parliament on 12/09/2026, which gave us an opportunity to
share our concerns and call for urgent action.
We are not asking the European Union to be open for illegal migration. However, supporting only Libyan authorities is not
enough. EU financial support and cooperation with Libyan institutions must be carefully checked, independently monitored
and transparently accounted for, particularly where there are allegations that trafficking and smuggling networks benefit from
systems of detention and exploitation.
Reports from international organizations have documented serious abuses against migrants and refugees in Libya, including
torture, sexual violence, arbitrary detention, trafficking, lack of adequate food and insufficient medical assistance. At the same
time, humanitarian and protection organizations face serious restrictions on their ability to operate and access people in need.
These conditions require a stronger European response and effective independent oversight.
We are deeply concerned that people who may have a genuine need for international protection are not always clearly
distinguished from other migrants. Eritreans are among those requiring particular attention because many cannot safely return
to Eritrea. International reporting has documented serious risks connected with return, including arbitrary detention and
enforced disappearance. Any return decision must therefore be based on an individual assessment of protection needs and
must respect the principle of non-refoulement.
We are also concerned about reports concerning the operation of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in
relation to Eritrean returns. Previous voluntary returnees have been reported as having disappeared after returning to Eritrea.
These reports should be independently investigated, and no return should be facilitated where adequate safeguards cannot be
demonstrated.
We urgently call on the European Commission to arrange an immediate and comprehensive EU response to the Libyan
migration crisis. The situation is becoming even more concerning in light of announcements that migrants should leave Libya
before 1 October 2026, with warnings that further measures may be taken against those who remain. We ask the European
institutions to urgently verify these announcements and assess the risks they create for refugees, asylum-seekers and other
vulnerable migrants.
We therefore urge the European Commission and the European Parliament to:

• Ensure that EU funds and assistance to Libya are independently audited, monitored and transparently reported, with
  safeguards against support reaching traffickers, smugglers or actors responsible for abuses.
• Strengthen humanitarian and protection efforts in Libya and ensure regular, safe access for credible international
  organizations to people in detention and other places where migrants are held.
• Ensure adequate access to food, clean water, medical care, legal information and protection services, including for survivors
  of torture and sexual violence.
• Establish effective procedures to identify asylum-seekers and refugees and distinguish their protection needs from ordinary
  migration-management procedures.
• Ensure that Eritrean nationals and other people who cannot safely return are protected from forced return and that all returns
  comply with international refugee and human-rights obligations.
• Use diplomatic engagement and EU leverage to press Libyan authorities to prevent abuse, investigate credible allegations,
  and protect migrants and refugees from trafficking and exploitation.
• Provide urgent clarification and protection measures concerning any announced deadline requiring migrants to leave Libya
  before 1 October 2026.
  We respectfully ask the European institutions to treat this matter as urgent and to take concrete steps to protect people who are
  exposed to serious abuse and who may have no safe place to return to. We remain available to provide further community
  information and documentation to the relevant European institutions.
  Sincerely,
  Eritrean Community in Belgium
  Eritrean Human Rights Defenders in the Netherlands