Libyan army releases tortured Sudanese migrants

January 24, 2018 (EL-FASHER) – The Libyan army managed on Tuesday evening to free a group of Sudanese migrants detained and tortured by Libyan human trafficking gangs, Sudan Tribune has learnt.

Ali Hussein, a cousin of one of the hostages told “Sudan Tribune” they received a call late Tuesday night from a Sudanese in Libya, informing them of the liberation of their children by the Libyan army and the arrest of the perpetrators.

The tortured migrants have been transferred to a hospital for treatment, he further said.

“We talked to al-Sadiq and he told said he and four others are now in hospital,” he added.

According to the UNHCR, over six thousand Sudanese have crossed to Europe through Libya using two routes, one from Khartoum and the and an alternative one from El-Fasher.

The smugglers and their Libyan partners used to detain the migrants and ask their families to send money before to release them.

The recent video footages circulating on social media showing handcuffed the five Sudanese hostages being beaten and tortured by fire, recalled the need for tougher measures to stop the human trafficking as well as to redress the chaotic situation in the northern African country.

The Sudanese government summoned the Libyan ambassador in Khartoum and its embassy in Tripoli contacted the government urging quick action to ensure their release.

The choking footages showing the tortured victims begging their families to pay ransom to the smugglers recalled the CNN report about slavery in Libya in November 2017.

(ST)