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A30 WORLD NEWS
Diasabra 23 Juli 2022

A new Libyan force emerges, accused of UK blames France as

abusing migrants travelers face hours-long

port delays

Most notorious is the
SSA’s detention center, set
up in a complex that was
once a state-run factory in
the town of Maya. U.N.
agencies and other groups
working on migrants have no
access to the site, according
to spokeswoman for the
International Organization
for Migration, Safa Msehli.

Up to 1,800 migrants have
been held there since its
creation, Libya Crimes
Watch estimates. Women and
children among the detainees
are held in a separate part of
the prison, the group said.
(AP) — Truck drivers and Britons heading off
Libya Crimes Watch and on holiday by ferry faced hours-long waits at the
(AP) — The Moroccan U.N. scrutiny intended to Amnesty International port of Dover on Friday, with authorities blaming
man had been stopped prevent rights abuses. separately documented French officials for the chaos — a claim France de-
before at sea in his rampant abuses at Maya nied.
multiple attempts to More than a dozen prison, including torture,
cross the Mediterranean migrants interviewed by the rape, forced labor and forced Dover authorities said a lack of French border officials
from Libya to Europe. Associated Press told of how prostitution, as well as severe was leading to waits of up to six hours for border checks
But his most recent time they were brutalized by the overcrowding and lack of at the English Channel port, with queues of tourist and
was different. The Libyan SSA while being held in its food and water. freight traffic snarling roads for miles (kilometers).
force that intercepted detention facility in the town
the boat full of some 50 of Maya on Tripoli’s western Ramadan, an Egyptian Millions of people in Britain are trying to begin vacations
migrants was more brutal. outskirts. The migrants, recently released from Maya, this weekend — the start of the summer school holidays
fearing retaliation, spoke on recalled how one young — and face disruptions by road, sea, rail and air.
The armed men beat and condition of anonymity or Moroccan was severely
humiliated the migrants, he that they be identified only beaten after being caught U.K. port authorities said that, despite months of work
recalled. They were then by their first names. They trying to escape. For a between the two nations to prepare for peak travel sea-
taken to a detention facility were all trying to get out of week, he was left in the cell, son, the number of French border police “has been in-
where for months and weeks Libya. bleeding and his wounds sufficient and has fallen far short of what is required to
they were severely beaten, festering as other migrants ensure a smooth first weekend of the peak summer get-
abused and tortured. He said “All I want is to leave this pleaded with guards to take away period.”
he was repeatedly beaten hell,” said Rabei, a 32-year- him to a hospital.
with rifle butts and whipped old Egyptian from a Nile Since Britain left the European Union in 2020, U.K.
with rubber hoses. Delta province, describing Finally, the guards dragged travelers face stricter border checks when traveling to the
his feelings before his him away. “He was still continent. At Dover they are performed on the English
Badges on their uniform release earlier this year. He alive. We don’t know what side of the channel by French staff.
showed the affiliation described repeatedly seeing happened to him,” Ramadan
of the gunmen, he said: guards beat migrants into said. Port of Dover chief executive Doug Bannister said the
the Stabilization Support unconsciousness, then drag port had declared a “critical incident.”
Authority. them away. He doesn’t know Torn by civil war since 2011,
whether any of them are still Libya is divided between “We’ve been badly let down this morning by the French
The SSA, an umbrella alive. rival governments in the border,” he said.
group of militias, has risen east and west, each backed
to become one of the main The Stabilization Support by international patrons and British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the situation
forces carrying out Libya’s Authority did not respond innumerable armed militias “should have been entirely avoidable and is unaccept-
European Union-aided calls and messages from on the ground. able.”
effort to stop migrants from the AP seeking comment.
crossing to European shores. Previously, the group and the In a bid to stem the flow “We need action from France to build up capacity at the
Though migrants have long Tripoli-based government of migrants, the European border to limit any further disruption for British tour-
been brutalized in Libya, dismissed allegations of Union has given the ists and to ensure this appalling situation is avoided in
rights groups and former abuses against migrants in government in Tripoli future,” said Truss, who is running to replace Boris John-
detainees say the abuse is statements following a report more than $500 million son as Conservative Party leader and Britain’s next prime
taking on a more organized by the rights group Amnesty since 2015. The funds are minister. “We will be working with the French authori-
and dangerous nature International. intended to beef up Libya’s ties to find a solution.”
under this feared new body. coast guard, reinforce Libya’s
And officials say it also is Hundreds of thousands southern border and improve France denied that its border officials were unprepared.
benefiting from EU support. of migrants from North conditions for migrants in Georges-Francois Leclerc, the top official for the Hauts-
Africa, sub-Saharan Africa detention centers run by the de-France region, said an unforeseen “technical incident”
The SSA has come to rival and the Middle East move Interior Ministry. in the Channel Tunnel prevented some Dover border
in strength the official anti- through Libya trying to reach booths from being staffed as planned Friday morning but
migrant agencies like the Europe. For years, Libyan The EU and the U.N. are insisted the problem was resolved after about 75 minutes.
coast guard and navy. But militias have been notorious supposed to monitor the
unlike them, it reports for involvement in human detention facilities to ensure By Friday afternoon, port authorities said more French
directly to Libya’s Tripoli- trafficking and for detaining migrants are properly treated. staff had arrived “and traffic is slowly beginning to move,
based presidential council migrants, abusing them and In reality, abuses have been but it will take some time to clear the backlog.”
and is not subject to EU and extorting money from them. rampant.