Up to 700,000 African migrants are trapped in detention camps in Libya, the head of the African Union's commission says. EU and African leaders said they plan to devise "longer-term solutions for the migration issue."
"We have agreed, along with the EU and the UN, to set up a task force for repatriating at least 3,800 people," said AU Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat.
"But it's just one camp … the Libyan government tells us that there are 42 in all. There are definitely more than that. There are estimates of 400,000 to 700,000 African migrants in Libya."
Mahamat said that the AU has partnered with the UN and the EU to devise "longer-term solutions for the migration issue," especially in Libya, which has been used as a launching pad by the majority of nearly half a million migrants attempting to reach European shores since 2015, according to figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Libya's coastguard has started to capture migrants attempting to Europe while at sea and taken them to detention camps in the North African countryImage: Getty Images/AFP/T. Jawashi
Traffickers 'are also here'
Thousands of sub-Saharan migrants have been trapped in Libya after the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in Libya pursued a policy of detaining migrants from sub-Saharan Africa following pressure from Brussels to do more to curb the tide of migration.
Gerba Shehu, spokesman for Nigeria's president Muhammadu Buhari, told DW that the government will do everything it can to return Nigerians in Libya to their own country. But he noted that more had to be done about human traffickers, even those operating outside Libya.
"They are also here in the Ivory Coast, where people are being channeled towards Libya," Shehu said.
Since dictator Moammar Gadhafi was toppled with international assistance in 2011, Libya has descended into chaos, with warlords, terror groups and competing governments claiming power across the fractured country.
Human traffickers have exploited the security vacuum and promised passage to Europe to hundreds of thousands of sub-Saharan Africans, many of them fleeing conflict and extreme poverty at home.
French President Emmanuel Macron called for law enforcement agencies in Europe and Africa to work together in order to "dismantle the (trafficking) networks and their financing and detain traffickers"Image: Reuters/P. Wojazer
No 'Marshall Plan' for Africa
The two-day summit was expected to tackle the challenges arising from Africa's booming population, which is expected to reach 2.4 billion people by 2050.
EU and African leaders have warned that without fast-tracked development, millions of African youths may attempt to flee to Europe in search of a better life or turn to Islamist militant groups as an alternative.
"An important opportunity was missed here," Friederike Röder of the French development organization One told DW. "All heads of government agreed on the challenges of demographic change in Africa" but stopped short of establishing new initiatives, not even the "Marshall Plan for Africa" previously discussed by Germany, she added.
Barbara Wesel contributed to this reporting from Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire.
How did Europe's refugee crisis start?
From escalating violence in the Middle East and Africa to incoherent asylum policy at home - DW looks at how the EU has found itself in the midst of a refugee crisis.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Fleeing war and poverty
In late 2014, with the war in Syria approaching its fourth year and Islamic State making gains in the north of the country, the exodus of Syrians intensified. At the same time, others were fleeing violence and poverty in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Somalia, Niger and Kosovo.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Seeking refuge over the border
Vast numbers of Syrian refugees had been gathering in border-town camps in neighboring Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan since 2011. By 2015, with the camps full to bursting and residents often unable to find work or educate their children, more and more people decided to seek asylum further afield.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
A long journey on foot
In 2015 an estimated 1.5 million people made their way on foot from Greece towards western Europe via the "Balkan route". The Schengen Agreement, which allows passport-free travel within much of the EU, was called into question as refugees headed towards the wealthier European nations.
Image: Getty Images/M. Cardy
Desperate sea crossings
Tens of thousands of refugees were also attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean on overcrowded boats. In April 2015, 800 people of various nationalities drowned when a boat traveling from Libya capsized off the Italian coast. This was to be just one of many similar tragedies - by the end of the year, nearly 4,000 refugees were reported to have died attempting the crossing.
Image: Reuters/D. Zammit Lupi
Pressure on the borders
Countries along the EU's external border struggled to cope with the sheer number of arrivals. Fences were erected in Hungary, Slovenia, Macedonia and Austria. Asylum laws were tightened and several Schengen area countries introduced temporary border controls.
Image: picture-alliance/epa/B. Mohai
Closing the open door
Critics of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's "open-door" refugee policy claimed it had made the situation worse by encouraging more people to embark on the dangerous journey to Europe. By September 2016, Germany had also introduced temporary checks on its border with Austria.
Image: Reuters/F. Bensch
Striking a deal with Turkey
In early 2016, the EU and Turkey signed an agreement under which refugees arriving in Greece could be sent back to Turkey. The deal has been criticized by human rights groups and came under new strain following a vote by the European Parliament in November to freeze talks on Turkey's potential accession to the EU.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Altan
No end in sight
With anti-immigration sentiment in Europe growing, governments are still struggling to reach a consensus on how to handle the continuing refugee crisis. Attempts to introduce quotas for the distribution of refugees among EU member states have largely failed. Conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere show no signs coming to an end, and the death toll from refugee sea crossings is on the rise.
