Refugees Deeply Quarterly has published a very useful and detailed investigation into the Libyan and European migration nexus, entitled ‘European Priorities, Libyan Realities’ by Daniel Howden. The article argues that the European Union’s migration “obsession” has destabilized Libya, while simultaneously benefitting smugglers and trapping those seeking to escape in prisons to be bought and sold by militias. Howden’s investigation explores the dynamic between local and international actors.
In June, a group of elders in the Libyan coastal city of Sabratha, one of the main departure points for migrants, were called to a meeting with a group they were told were representatives of the Italian government. According to one of the elders present, they were asked to pass a message to the main smugglers: “Tell them the golden age is over.”
A similarly in depth and analytical investigation into this topic was also published by Foreign Policy on 4 October, examining Europe’s desperate campaign to barricade itself — and the policies’ unintended consequences.
An unprecedented wave of African migration is warping Europe’s politics and threatening its stability. Can the Continent respond without destroying its values and wreaking havoc in Africa?
Click here to read the full ‘European Priorities, Libyan Realities’ article. Click here to read the full FP article.