Following an attack in Libya, the European Commission is facing criticism as NGOs including Amnesty International, ActionAid, and Médecins Sans Frontières assert that insufficient action has been taken to address ongoing human rights violations, reports 24brussels.
The letter from the signatories highlights that despite the Commission’s claims of an investigation, there is no indication that cooperation or assistance with Libyan authorities has been suspended during this inquiry. This allegation casts a shadow over nearly a decade of EU policy in the region, which the NGOs label as a failure.
“Eight years of EU support has not improved these actors’ human rights records, but enabled and legitimized abuses,” the organizations state, stressing that “human lives must not be disregarded in the name of border control.”
The NGOs further accuse the Commission of neglecting to act on “overwhelming evidence” of human rights violations perpetrated by Libyan authorities, arguing that there has been a lack of transparency regarding safety checks on EU-funded projects, which they claim puts vulnerable populations at risk.
They demand that Brussels immediately suspend cooperation with Libya, restore the rule of law at its maritime border, call on Italy to terminate its 2017 Memorandum of Understanding with Libya, and urge other Member States to avoid similar agreements.
This appeal emerges amid a politically unstable climate in Libya, where internal divisions persist between rival governments in Tripoli and Benghazi, each backed by conflicting international powers. Russia has increased its influence through arms deliveries and plans for a naval base in Tobruk, while Turkey has concluded maritime agreements that have raised concerns in Greece.
The ongoing disarray in Libya not only highlights the challenges facing European diplomacy but also raises critical questions regarding the efficacy of EU policies and their implications for human rights in the region.
