Egypt to back Libyans against human trafficking: Envoy to UN

NEW YORK – 28 November 2017: Egypt is ready to support for Libyans to combat human trafficking crimes by some criminal groups in the North African country, Egypt’s permanent delegate to the United Nations Amr Abul Atta said.

Egypt has closely followed up media reports that criminal groups in Libya are exploiting illegal immigrants in human trafficking practices, Abul Atta told a UN Security Council session aired by the Nile News TV channel.

Egypt strongly condemns and rejects such practices that run counter to the stable human values, he added.

Egypt has welcomed a decision by Libyan authorities to open investigation into the case to bring the perpetrators to justice, he stressed.

He pointed to Egypt’s efforts to unify the Libyan armed forces and back the political process in the country in support for the UN moves.

Threats in Libya cannot be addressed in isolation from the security, social and economic conditions in the Sahel region that is suffering a security vacuum and lack of control over remote desert areas, which have created safe havens for terrorists and criminals, he added.

Egypt believes in the necessity of adopting a comprehensive approach to address the reasons behind the forced displacement, which includes economic, political and humanitarian decisions with a special focus on the development dimension in the countries that export or host such huge flows of immigrants and refugees, he said.