The Scandal of a Slave Market in Libya

Author: Zeinab Abulhul

March 26, 2025

[Image Source: Modern Slavery Goes Beyond the Libya Slave Trade]

In 2017, the shocking revelation of a slave market operating in Libya, where individuals were auctioned for as little as $400, drew widespread condemnation. Footage depicting the dehumanizing treatment of these individuals—showing their inability to speak or resist—mirrored the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade. This horrific situation, reminiscent of the harrowing depictions in the novel "Roots," highlighted the vulnerability of individuals in the face of systemic injustice and the absence of legal protections (Human Trafficking Search, 2023).

The key difference is that in the novel, white men invaded their lands and forcibly took individuals against their will. In the current situation, people are manipulated into believing they can escape a harsh life and willingly go with smugglers, only to find themselves trapped by predators. Despite the passage of time, such exploitation continues.  

According to a report from TIME in 2017, an investigation of the footage of the slavery market in Libya reveals how migrants were humiliated by smugglers who shouted, “Does anybody need a digger? This is a digger, a big strong man, he’ll dig. What am I bid, what am I bid?” In April, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on "slave markets" along North African migrant routes, causing suffering for hundreds of young African men who were humiliated by being sold and bought on the open market. 

[Image Source: Enslavement of free people]

The fall of the Gaddafi regime in 2011 plunged Libya into a state of political instability, creating fertile ground for human trafficking and forced labor to thrive. The plight of enslaved individuals in Libya represents not only a profound violation of human rights but also a critical challenge for global humanitarian efforts. Addressing modern slavery in Libya is crucial for restoring dignity and justice to thousands of victims, as well as reinforcing international human rights standards (Global Affairs, n.d; UNHCR, 2011).  

The chaotic environment of the Libyan Civil War has created a power vacuum, enabling various groups to operate outside the rule of law. Driven by greed and a disregard for human life, these groups exploit the vulnerability of migrants and refugees, perpetuating a cycle of abuse and exploitation (Human Trafficking Search, 2023).

Migrants leave their home countries for various reasons. Some flee poverty and economic hardship for a better life, while others escape political turmoil and violence, seeking safety and stability. According to the IOM, in 2020, there were approximately 600,362 migrants from over 46 nationalities in Libya, based on data collected between May and June. Of these migrants, 62% were from sub-Saharan Africa, 31% were from North Africa, and 7% were from Asia and the Middle East. Geographically, 49% were located in Western Libya, 28% in Eastern Libya, and 23% in Southern Libya.

Tragically, many fall prey to human traffickers who exploit their vulnerabilities, luring them with false promises. Once trapped, these individuals are kidnapped, sold, tortured, and enslaved. According to the Global Slavery Index, in 2021, Libya was ranked 59th globally and 11th in Africa in modern slavery. 47,000 people experienced different types of slavery in Libya, where 6.8 for every thousand people were forced into labor and marriage (Global Slavery Index 2023). In the same year, Africa ranked fourth globally for modern slavery, affecting around 7 million individuals, including men, women, and children. The highest rates of slavery were found in Eritrea, Mauritania, and South Sudan, while the lowest were in Mauritius, Lesotho, and Botswana. Following Africa were the Arab states with 10.1 thousand, Europe and Central Asia with 6.9 thousand, and Asia and the Pacific with figures of 46 thousand and 6.8 thousand. (Global Slavery Index 2025). 

Background on the Issue of Slave Trade in Libya

Libya serves as a crucial route for African migrants fleeing their countries for various reasons, seeking refuge from injustice, poverty, and religious conflict. They aim to achieve a better life in Europe by traversing Libyan territory. According to the IOM, between 700,000 and 1 million African immigrants resided in Libya in 2017 (Didier, Diouf & Lee, 2021), with many of them willing to risk their lives by entrusting their well-being and savings to human traffickers. These human traffickers assisted them in crossing Libyan land and the Mediterranean Sea in rubber boats, often disregarding the dangers of the perilous journey.

After 2011, some migrants were unaware of the instability in Libya, while others underestimated the situation there until they found themselves trapped. During this period, government systems barely functioned at any level in Libya. The civil war split the country into two rival governments, one in the west and the other in the east, contending for power and control over the nation. These factions prioritized securing their authority over addressing the needs of the people or maintaining order in the streets. Both sides sought external support from foreign countries, mercenaries, and other groups (Special Case: Libya, 2020). 

This lawless environment also empowered smugglers who collaborated with corrupt Libyan officials, including members of the Coast Guard and border control. They exploited migrants' hopes for safe passage to Europe, leaving them trapped in a cycle of exploitation, abuse, and trafficking. As the country endures civil war, the fear of a weak system incapable of protecting its citizens has rendered law enforcement in Libya passive and ineffective. This has resulted in violations of human rights and injustice. Libyan Criminal Justice System (LCJS) workers lack the necessary resources and training to address the overwhelming number of crimes committed by traffickers and smugglers. There are, unfortunately, too many violators to bring them all to justice. Instead, they focus only on the most significant trafficking cases, leaving more minor but equally devastating crimes unchecked. This lack of enforcement has further entrenched the chaos in Libya, creating an environment where illegal practices thrive unchecked (Special Case: Libya, 2020).

Despite the unstable security situation, 335,000 migrants reached Italy via Libya in 2015 and 2016. Tragically, 5,000 people drowned in 2016 (The Guardian, 2017). The migrants' determination to cross the sea and reach European borders, alongside the increasing number of migrants, has raised concerns for Italy and other European leaders. In response, they allocated funds, provided new vessels, and offered training to the Libyan Coast Guard as part of a strategic plan aimed at limiting the flow of migrants into Europe (The Guardian, 2017). 

In February 2017, Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti highlighted the gravity of the situation, revealing that 12,500 migrants had arrived in just 25 vessels. He described the event as "an unprecedented moment in the history of migration.” He was determined to address the situation with the leader of the United Nations (UN) recognized government in Libya and agreed to work with the Libyan Coast Guard. (The Guardian, 2017).

[Image Source: Libya's coastal cities are 'making millions from people smuggling']

After Italy took these measures, the migrants were trapped in Libya, where no one could help them or protect their safety. As a result of the civil war, the country's cities were controlled by militias who benefited from smugglers working for them to make money with the knowledge of complicit government officials. What made the situation worse was that African migrants found themselves caught between conflicting militia groups. One of the militia groups, working alongside the Libyan Coast Guard and controlling the central route to cross the sea in Sabratha, was financially benefiting from the European Union’s (EU) efforts to stop migrants from attempting to cross the sea to Europe. (Fishman, 2017; The Guardian, 2017). The impact of control by the Libyan Coast Guard on the flow of immigrants to Europe was noted by Marco Minniti in an interview in Italy, where he defended his methods for limiting the influx of migrants to Italy, acknowledging an 87% drop in migrants from Libya. He also shared that the Libyan Coast Guard prevented 13,000 people from attempting to travel to Europe by stopping them and returning them to Libya (Fishman, 2017; The Guardian, 2017

The number of migrants arriving in Italy dropped significantly from 23,500 in July to just 4,000 in August 2017, sharply contrasting with the 160,000 arrivals recorded in November 2016. This decline was not accepted by rival militias that were generating good revenue as potential ferrymen. They were unhappy with this decline and wanted to maintain their income by enabling migrants to cross the sea. Thus, when the Coast Guard returned 13,000 migrants to be deported to their countries, they detained them in detention centers as another way to make money. These revenue streams came from threatening the families of those detained. They threatened to sell, enslave, or engage migrants in the sex trade if their families did not pay their ransom (Fishman, 2017; The Guardian, 2017).

[Image Source]: Amnesty International accuses EU of "complicity" in Libyan slave trade]

Hundreds of African migrants from Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, and Senegal who were kept in detention centers have fallen victim to human traffickers and are being bought and sold publicly. Recently, operations officers from IOM in Niger announced the rescue of a Senegalese migrant who had been held captive for several months. This Senegalese migrant’s journey began with the hope of reaching Europe through Libya, but he ended up in Niger. Smugglers convinced him that paying $320 would allow him to reach North Africa. However, upon arriving in Sabha, a city in southwestern Libya, he was sold by Ghanaian and Nigerian smugglers to Libyans who held him as a hostage (The United Nations, Refugees, and Migrants, 2017). Many of these migrants were beaten and tortured. Those who could not pay $480 for their freedom were resold in the slave market, with the price increasing to $970 for their release. They were held in detention centers under inhumane conditions, waiting for their families back home to pay a ransom for their release. Within a month, this situation led to the deaths of 14 migrants from disease and malnutrition. The horrors of slavery and human trafficking disproportionately affect women and children (Akwei, Ismail, africanews, n.d). 

Social media allows rescuers to uncover and share so many horrible stories that have happened to African migrants who were held hostage for money. An immigrant named Sami, 18 years old, from Mayoma in Eritrea, told his story. When he was 15 years old, he started his journey traveling from his country to Ethiopia to Sudan, where Chadians sold him to Libyan smugglers to go to Europe. There, he found himself among Libyan smugglers and had to pay for his freedom or be enslaved. Despite telling them that he could not offer $6,500 for his freedom, they tortured him until his Mom sold their home and borrowed money for her son's freedom (Naib 2018).  

In another story told by a victim's brother to Al Jazeera, the kidnappers in Bani Walid, Libya, took his 23-year-old brother as a victim of human traffickers. A video was sent to his family showing him being tortured while screaming. The kidnappers demanded his family pay $12,000 as ransom for his life (Alatrash 2023). Another victim, a 38-year-old Nigerian, told a similar story about his son who was tortured. They were forced to pay $550 as a ransom (Alatrash 2023). 

Reaction of International Organizations and Calls for Intervention to Assist Immigrants in Libya.

Many human rights organizations criticized European countries’ financial and logistical support to prevent migrants from Libya from reaching their borders.

• Amnesty International

  
  

European leaders were aware that African migrants apprehended under an agreement with Libya’s interior ministry were being controlled by militias and detained in various centers. Amnesty International has accused these leaders, particularly those in Italy, of complicity in the agreement and the resulting mistreatment of thousands of migrants. They neglected to consider the consequences of an estimated 500,000 migrants living in Libya without protection, including around 20,000 who were being held in detention centers under militia control. Furthermore, Amnesty International condemned the Libyan Coast Guard for using violence while intercepting migrant boats and forcibly returning them to Libya, a practice that led to the drowning of up to 50 migrants (Saleh & Peel, 2017).

• Human Rights Watch (HRW)

Interviews conducted by Human Rights Watch (HRW) with staff and officials in Libyan detention centers reveal that support from the EU has led to severe abuse and violence against migrants. The EU’s migration cooperation has intensified its efforts, investing millions of euros into programs designed to enhance the capacity of the Coast Guard to intercept migrant boats departing from Libyan waters bound for Europe. The goal is to assert control over Europe’s external borders, dismantle the smuggling business model, and prevent boat migration.

However, migrants who are taken to detention centers endure inhumane treatment, including extortion, forced labor, and sexual violence. The EU focuses primarily on preventing migrant boats from reaching its shores, often neglecting the dire conditions that intercepted migrants face while being held in detention centers operated by militias. The EU considers the treatment of returned migrants in detention centers outside its borders to be the legal responsibility of Libya, not its own (Human Rights Watch, HRW, 2019).

The IOM, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and UN condemned the transfer of 270 migrants to Libya's Coast Guard, where they were held in detention centers that subjected them to inhumane treatment. They emphasized that Libya is unsafe for returning refugees and migrants. They proclaimed that Libya urgently needs to address the horrific conditions in detention centers (UNHCR, 2021).

[Image Source: Italian captain given jail term for returning migrants to Libya]

• Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders, MSF)

  
  

MSF criticized European policies regarding their treatment of migrants and refugees, emphasizing that imposing restrictions on asylum seekers often leads to tragic consequences. They asserted that preventing these individuals from reaching European borders effectively traps them as victims of abuse and detention without access to healthcare (MSF 2014).

International Calls for Migrant Protection and Policy Reforms 

The report from UNHCR/IOM/Mixed Migration Centre (MMC) titled “On This Journey, No One Cares If You Live or Die" (Volume 2) underscores the absence of documentation related to the human rights abuses experienced by refugees and migrants along the Mediterranean coast. These organizations are urging for the safeguarding of refugees and an inquiry into the underlying factors that compel individuals to flee their countries, frequently endangering their lives. They highlight the need for a secure environment at departure points for asylum seekers (UNHCR, 2024). 

To address these challenges, UNHCR employs three alternative suggestions and strategies to alleviate the difficulties that migrants face as they leave their home countries. These strategies focus on providing local support and encouraging individuals to stay in their home nations rather than move to transit countries like Libya. The UNHCR prioritizes the safe travel of migrants, minimizing the risk of exploitation and offering assistance in transit countries. Furthermore, the organization ensures that migrants receive fair treatment in destination countries, where their asylum claims are properly processed, and they can integrate into local communities. This includes those in Europe where they intend to settle. (UNHCR, Strategy Overview, 2018). 

Meanwhile, the IOM assists the Libyan government with immigration issues. It has advocated for a migration framework that outlines three core objectives concerning migrant displacement for those seeking better opportunities while ensuring fair treatment and respect for migrants' humanity, safety, dignity, and adherence to international commitments.  IOM called upon the government, businesses, and civil society to collaborate in helping migrants by engaging the right individuals to establish regulations that protect migrants' rights and achieve the three objectives. First, they provide safe environments; second, they treat migrants fairly and kindly while upholding international commitments; and third, they support initiatives like the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda to improve conditions for all migrants (IOM in Libya, 2019).

The United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda initiatives recognize migration as a vital global issue, emphasizing its role in economic development, social integration, and international stability. Various Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) directly address migration-related challenges and highlight the importance of effective migration policy management and the rights of migrants (Migration Data Portal, 2024). 

The principle of inclusiveness is used to guide the 2030 Agenda and its motto, "Leave no one behind." Migration issues are addressed in 10 out of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (Migration Data Portal, 2024). The 2030 Agenda views migrants as vulnerable individuals who encounter barriers and need to be empowered in order to cross them. The SDGs are achievable if migrants and migration are recognized and mainstreamed so that they can prosper and achieve the SDGs (Migration and the 2023 Agenda, 2018).

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Glossary

• Footage: “film or videotape that shows a single event or place.”

• Gaddafi regime: “The Gaddafi regime (1969–2011) was an authoritarian government in Libya that ended after his ousting during the 2011 Libyan Civil War.

• Horrific situation: “Extremely bad and making you feel shocked or frightened

• Human Trafficking:  “Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some labor or commercial sex act.”

• Libya: “the fourth-largest country in Africa and the Arab world, and the 16th-largest in the world.” 

• Scandal: “(an action or event that causes) a public feeling of shock and strong moral disapproval.”

• Civil War: “A violent conflict between a state and one or more organized non-state actors in the state’s territory”

• Slave market: “market where slaves are exhibited and sold.”

• Transatlantic slave trade: “Segment of the global slave trade that transported between 10 million and 12 million enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas from the 16th to the 19th century.”

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References

1. Akwei, Ismail. (n.d).  The United Nations migration agency has documented reports of slave markets and kidnapping rings on migrant routes in Libya run by traffickers to buy and sell West African migrants. https://www.africanews.com/2017/04/11/libyan-traffickers-running-slave-markets-and-kidnapping-rings-report//

2. Alatrash,I, Aljazeera. (10 Dec 2023). Libyan militias ‘making a killing’ off kidnapping refugees for ransom. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/10/libyan-militias-are-making-a-killing-off-kidnapping-refugees-for-ransom

3. Didier. C., Diouf. F  & Lee. J. (2021). The return of slavery in Libya. https://www.growthinktank.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/The-return-of-slavery-in-Libya.pdf 

4. Global Affairs. ( n.d). Why NGOs are ineffective in solving the migrant crisis: The Libyan slave trade example. https://www.unav.edu/web/global-affairs/detalle/-/blogs/why-ngos-are-ineffective-in-solving-the-migrant-crisis-the-libyan-slave-trade-example

5. Global slavery index. (2025).  Modern slavery in Africa. https://www.walkfree.org/global-slavery-index/findings/regional-findings/africa/

6. Human Trafficking Search. (2023).The Open Slave Market in Libya. https://humantraffickingsearch.org/resource/the-open-slave-market-in-libya/

7. Global Slavery Index. (2023). Modern slavery in Libya country snapshot. https://cdn.walkfree.org/content/uploads/2023/09/28081802/GSI-Snapshot-Libya.pdf 

8. Fishman, B. (2017). Slavery in Libya: The migration crisis researches new heights. The international outcry over a videotaped slave auction underscores the urgency of addressing the country's broken political system. https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/slavery-libya-migration-crisis-reaches-new-heights

9. Human Rights Watch, (HRW, January 21, 2019). No escape from hell. EU policies contribute to abuse of migrants in Libya. https://www.hrw.org/report/2019/01/21/no-escape-hell/eu-policies-contribute-abuse-migrants-libya 

10. International Organization for Migration. (IOM, 2020). Over 100 Arrive In Sudan As Voluntary Humanitarian Return Flights Resume. https://sudan.iom.int/news/over-100-arrive-sudan-voluntary-humanitarian-return-flights-resume

11. International Organization for Migration. (IOM, 2019). IOM Libya needs and activities three-year plan. https://crisisresponse.iom.int/sites/g/files/tmzbdl1481/files/appeal/documents/Three%20Year%20Activity%20Plan_0.pdf 

12. International Organization for Migration. (IOM, April, 11.2017 ). IOM learns of 'slave market' conditions endangering migrants in North Africa. https://www.iom.int/news/iom-learns-slave-market-conditions-endangering-migrants-north-africa. 

13. Medecins Sans Frontiers. (MSF, March 14, 2014). How European policies choose violence against migrants and refugees. https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/how-european-policies-choose-violence-against-migrants-and-refugees

14. Migration data portal. (August 22, 2024). The bigger picture. https://www.migrationdataportal.org/sdgs?node=0 

15. International Organization for Migration. (IOM,2018)  Migration and the 2023 agenda. https://publications.iom.int/system/files/pdf/sdg_en.pdf 

16. Naib, Aljazeera.( Jan 26, 2018) . Slavery in Libya: Life inside a container. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/1/26/slavery-in-libya-life-inside-a-container

17. Saleh & Peel. (Dec 12, 2017).  Amnesty accuses the EU of being complicit in Libya's migrant abuse. Financial Times. Amnesty accuses EU of being complicit in Libya migrant abuse

18. Strategy Overview. (May, 2018).  Working on alternatives to dangerous journeys.

19. UNHCR central Mediterranean risk mitigation strategy. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. https://reporting.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/UNHCR%20Central%20Mediterranean%20Risk%20Mitigation%20Strategy%20Overview%20-%20May%202018.pdf

20. The Guardian. (Dec 11, 2017). EU leaders complicit in torture of refugees and migrants, Amnesty says. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/12/eu-leaders-complicit-libyan-torture-refugees-migrants-amnesty-says

21. The Guardian. (Sep 7, 2017). Italian minister defends methods that led to an 87% drop in migrants from Libya. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/07/italian-minister-migrants-libya-marco-minniti

22. The Guardian. (Jan 25, 2017). Migration: EU rejects proposals for Turkey-style deal for Libya. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/25/migration-eu-rejects-proposals-for-turkey-style-deal-for-libya

23. The United States Department. ( 2020). 2020 Trafficking in Persons Report: Libya.  SPECIAL CASE: LIBYA. https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-trafficking-in-persons-report/libya/

24. TIME. (2017). The Libyan slave trade has shocked the world. Here’s what you should know.  https://time.com/5042560/libya-slave-trade/

25. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (UNHCR, June 27, 2011). 2011 Trafficking in persons report - Libya. https://www.refworld.org/reference/annualreport/usdos/2011/en/79947

26. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR, July 4TH, 2024). New UNHCR/IOM/MMC report highlights extreme horrors faced by refugees and migrants on land routes to Africa's Mediterranean coast. https://www.unhcr.org/us/news/press-releases/new-unhcr-iom-mmc-report-highlights-extreme-horrors-faced-refugees-and-migrants

27. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (UNHCR, June 16, 2021). IOM and UNHCR condemn the return of migrants and refugees to Libya. https://www.unhcr.org/us/news/news-releases/iom-and-unhcr-condemn-return-migrants-and-refugees-libya

28.  United Nations. (Apr 11, 2017). African migrants reportedly being sold in 'slave markets' in Libya, UN agency warns. UN Refugees and Migrants. https://refugeesmigrants.un.org/african-migrants-reportedly-being-sold-%E2%80%98slave-markets%E2%80%99-libya-un-agency-warns