Between 400,000 and 700,000 African migrants are living in camps in Libya, often under “inhuman” conditions, the chairman of the African Union Commission said Thursday at the close of a summit of European and African leaders. In a communique Thursday, the European and African leaders agreed to “accelerate exponentially” efforts to repatriate the migrants and vowed to combat the crimes committed against them. Some African nations are working to bring their citizens home. European countries are trying to discourage the stream of migrants with development aid and other means, including funds to tighten border controls. To focus efforts, the EU, the African Union and the United Nations also announced that they would set up a special task force to help protect migrants, notably those detained in conflict-torn Libya.

Source: Egypt Independent November 30, 2017 19:07 UTC