The African Union on Friday urged the Libyan authorities to investigate “slave markets” of black Africans operating in the conflict-torn nation, after the CNN aired footage of live auction in Libya where black youths are sold off for as little as $400 prompting outcry.
Guinean President Alpha Conde, who is also chairman of the African Union, demanded an inquiry and prosecutions relating to what he termed a “despicable trade … from another era.”
Meanwhile, Senegal’s government, commenting on Facebook, expressed “outrage at the sale of sub-Saharan African migrants on Libyan soil,” which constituted a “blight on the conscience of humanity.”
Conde further appealed for the Libyan authorities to “reassess migrants’ detention conditions” following revelations about squalid jails and detention centers that await migrants who are caught trying to reach the coast.
“These modern slavery practices must end and the African Union will use all the tools at its disposal,” Conde added.
Libya has opened an investigation into the practice, CNN reported Friday, and pledged to return those taken as slaves to their countries of origin.