The Latest: 'Accelerate' sending migrants home from Libya | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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The Latest: 'Accelerate' sending migrants home from Libya

ABIDJAN, Cote d'Ivoire - The Latest on the European Union-African summit (all times local):

7:05 p.m.

European and African leaders have agreed to "accelerate exponentially" the efforts to repatriate the hundreds of thousands of African migrants stranded in Libya, often in squalid camps.

A communique at the end of their summit Thursday also expresses "firm resolve" to combat the crimes committed against migrants in the chaotic North African nation.

Migration became the focus of the summit after CNN footage earlier this month showed migrants in Libya being sold as slaves.

The chairman of the African Union Commission says between 400,000 and 700,000 African migrants are living in camps in Libya, often under "inhuman" conditions.

The European and African leaders want to speed up efforts that so far have returned about 13,000 migrants to their home countries.

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3 p.m.

The chairman of the African Union Commission says between 400,000 and 700,000 African migrants are living in camps in Libya, often under "inhuman" conditions.

Moussa Faki Mahamat spoke Thursday at the end of a summit of European and African leaders where migration was a top issue after recent footage of a migrant slave auction in Libya drew global horror and condemnation.

Mahamat said 3,800 migrants in one camp in Tripoli need to be removed as soon as possible.

"That's just one camp," he said. "The Libyan government has told us there are 42," and some contain an even larger number of migrants.

The International Organization for Migration says more than 423,000 migrants had been identified in the chaotic North African country as of last month. Most are African.

News from © The Associated Press, 2017
The Associated Press

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