From Dream to Nightmare: The Journey to Europe via Libya

Libya continues its strict policy towards irregular migrants from Africa and the Middle East, who use its shores as launching points to Europe.

Reports of “severe abuses” in Libya's notorious detention centers against these migrants persist, drawing condemnation from human rights organizations.

Harsh Conditions

Recently, Syrian and Palestinian refugees detained in Zuwarah detention center in Libya have issued distress calls to the United Nations and human rights organizations, demanding “urgent intervention to rescue them from the harsh conditions they face inside the prison.”

According to a statement from the Action Group for Palestinians of Syria on September 4, 2024, refugees in Zuwarah “prison” “suffer from severe hunger and thirst, with their humanitarian conditions continuously deteriorating.”

The group reported that over 112 Syrian refugees, including Palestinians and 18 women, endure harsh conditions after being arrested while attempting to migrate by sea from Libya to Europe.

Sources within the “prison” confirm that refugees face repeated abuses, with a lack of healthcare and malnutrition.

Zuwarah, located 120 km west of Tripoli, is known as a major departure point for migrants heading to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea. It is strategically located near the Tunisian border and overlooks the waters separating Libya from the Italian island of Lampedusa.

Control of Zuwarah is shared between the “Military Council of Zuwarah,” affiliated with the Amazigh, and a security force under the Government of National Unity.

In addition to Zuwarah, other areas such as Castelverde, Sabratah, and Zawiya are known for the frequent smuggling and storage of migrants in warehouses or residential apartments until they are taken to sea at times determined by human trafficking gangs.

The Syrian opposition group Horan Free has obtained video footage and photos from inside the Zuwarah detention center, documenting the suffering of Syrian migrants who were arrested following an attack by armed militias during their attempt to reach Italy.

The videos reveal the migrants being subjected to torture, severe shortages of food and water, and the spread of diseases among the detainees, particularly skin conditions such as scabies.

Ongoing Threats

The Horan Free group reports that detainees in “Zuwarah Prison” face insults and beatings from guards of Libyan and African nationalities, living under constant threats if they make any demands.

One video recording claims that what the uploader calls the Zuwarah militias abducted 130 migrants.

According to the group, a survivor named Mohammad al-Samri (a pseudonym) revealed he paid $2,500 to be released from the “prison,” describing the conditions as disastrous, with temperatures rising above 50°C inside the overcrowded hangar.

Al-Samri added that he was unable to use the bathroom for five days due to a lack of water, severely affecting his mental health.

He explained that the “prison's” Libyan manager, named Akram, threatened detainees with gunfire if they did not pay for their release.

Al-Samri also noted that militias stole their money, phones, and identification documents, including passports and personal IDs. He mentioned that a detainee with heart issues “almost lost his life due to inadequate medical care.”

Detainees face repeated insults and physical abuse from guards, living under constant threat if they request even basic necessities.

In addition to Zuwarah, several other prisons in Libya, such as Bi'r al Ghanam and Ain Zara in Tripoli, are run by local militias, where detainees suffer deteriorating health conditions and endure torture and starvation, according to the group.

Many migrants find themselves trapped in this coastal city, unable to leave Libya for Europe. The Libyan Coast Guard, supported and trained by the EU, intercepts more boats heading to European shores. The European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex assists Libyan authorities with drones to locate boats at sea.

Libya remains a major departure point for irregular migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East, seeking to reach Europe.

‘Militia Kidnapping’

Syrians from Assad-controlled areas pay around $6,500 per person for a flight from Damascus International Airport to Libya, from where they later board a boat to Italy.

However, some are not fortunate enough to cross the sea and reach European shores; instead, they fall victim to extortion and severe human rights abuses.

Libya, located in North Africa about 300 kilometers from the Italian coast, remains engulfed in escalating security chaos. Armed militias exploit lawlessness for financial gain.

Amidst this chaos, kidnappings targeting migrants, especially Syrians, have increased.

The Horan Fidan group reported the harrowing experience of Samir al-Malan (a pseudonym), a Syrian who, after arriving in Europe in July 2024 and attempting to leave Libya for Italy, was kidnapped in Zuwarah by an armed group known as “Aisha Brigade,” based in Zuwarah.

Al-Malan, along with a group of Syrian and Egyptian migrants, was forced into fortified rooms covered with iron plates and informed that they were “kidnapped” and needed to pay a ransom of $4,000 per person, he told the group on September 3, 2024.

He added that they were deprived of food and water for five days and threatened with being sold to human traffickers.

At night, Samir heard the cries of children from a nearby room, later discovering they were also held by the “Aisha Brigade.”

Samir noted that the kidnappers used luxury vehicles, including a BMW M760, to transport the captives from one location to another.

These testimonies reveal a fraction of the abuses faced by Syrian migrants in Libya, who fled harsh conditions in their homeland due to Assad’s regime and dire economic circumstances.

Militias in Libya, particularly on the western coast, exploit the security vacuum to carry out near-daily kidnappings and extortion against Syrians and other migrants, seeking financial gain.

The Palestinian Embassy previously warned Palestinians residing in Syria about entering Libya via Benina Airport in Benghazi, labeling it as illegal under Libyan immigration laws.

The embassy noted that migrants entering the country this way “often face extortion by human trafficking gangs, worsening their suffering.”

‘Vicious Cycle’

Since 2020, Amnesty International has reported that migrants are trapped in a “vicious cycle of brutality,” enduring abuses in detention centers.

These abuses include sexual assault, physical violence, and arbitrary detention.

The European Union, particularly Italy, has faced severe criticism for supporting and collaborating with Libyan coast guard units implicated in these abuses.

In early September 2024, unknown assailants assassinated Abdul Rahman Milad, known as “al-Bidja,” the commander of the Libyan Naval Academy, in Tripoli.

“Al-Bidja,” one of the most notorious security figures in western Libya, is accused by several countries, including the U.S. and the U.K., of leading a major human trafficking gang. He is also a leader in the Zawiyah coast guard, a key departure point for migrants heading to Europe.

In June 2018, “al-Bidja” was named in a UN Security Council report as the leader of the most dangerous human trafficking gang in Libya, involved in the torture of migrants and human rights abuses. Interpol has issued an arrest warrant against him.

Human trafficking networks have exploited the instability in Libya since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 to establish secret routes for smuggling thousands of migrants from Africa to Europe.

While Libyan authorities attempted to project a “harrowing image” to deter those considering migration to Europe, the Trans-Mediterranean Migration Forum concluded in Tripoli on July 17, 2024, after a day of high-level discussions.

The forum's final statement emphasized the importance of cooperation and solidarity among countries and institutions to find comprehensive solutions to irregular migration.

It stressed the need to address the root causes of irregular migration, considering issues of development and human rights.

In 2023, more than 3,000 migrants were reported missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean, according to the International Organization for Migration.

According to official Libyan government data, over 40% of migrants arriving in Europe via the Mediterranean have traveled through Libya.

EU funding for Libyan coast guard forces has frequently sparked outrage among NGOs, which argue that Libya is not a safe place for refugees, especially given the severe abuses reported in notorious detention centers.