Refugees In Libya takes Book of Shame to AU HQ, relives  experiences in Libya, others

Refugees In Libya has taken its work Book of Shame to African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa where it recounted the members ordeal in Libya and  other parts of North Africa.

The group announced this in a post on its official X handle.

The post reads unedited:

The Book of Shame made it to the African Union HQ in Addis Ababa yesterday. We met with Ilwad Elmi Mohamed , the Head of the Youth Development and Engagement Division and Pempho Chabvuta, Partnerships and Member States Engagement Officer.

We discussed a range of issues, beginning with our experiences in Libya and North Africa, the founding of Refugees in Libya and the current situation in the region. We were not surprised to hear that they’re less informed about what is happening in Libya, and the realities of the treatment of black refugees and migrants on African soil. They said they believed that the situation in Libya had improved after the 2017 enslavement scandal. This concerns us, especially with the huge displacement caused by the war in Sudan.

They were visibly horrified by what we presented and described to them. We handed them copies of the Book of Shame and discussed the Italy–Libya Memorandum of Understanding as well as the situation on the Central Mediterranean Sea and Europe’s crimes on the African youth.

In conclusion, they expressed gratitude saying they had never had such encounter before. We are glad our passion was felt. They promised to make this a top priority, and to continue engaging us on different levels.

Ironically, the theme of the African Union this year is “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations”. We feel the matter in Libya and the region has largely been neglected. Africans must cooperate to make the region, and continent safe for Africans.

We hope the African Union takes what we have presented very very serious. We are ready to repurpose the role of the African Union to the interests of the African people and her youth.