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UN Demands Protecting Migrants from Traffickers in Libya

Migrants who were rescued by the Libyan Navy on July 24. (Libyan Navy)
Migrants who were rescued by the Libyan Navy on July 24. (Libyan Navy)
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UN Demands Protecting Migrants from Traffickers in Libya

Migrants who were rescued by the Libyan Navy on July 24. (Libyan Navy)
Migrants who were rescued by the Libyan Navy on July 24. (Libyan Navy)

The United Nations has underscored the importance of protecting vulnerable illegal migrants from traffickers.

In a joint statement on Wednesday, the National Coordinating Committee for Combating and Preventing Illegal Migration and Trafficking in Persons (NCCPIM&TIP), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and European Union emphasized the need to continue to raise awareness about human trafficking.

“Every year the entire world commemorates the World Day against Trafficking in Persons on the 30th of July as a reminder of the crucial role we should continue to play in raising awareness on this crime and its forms, in preventing it from taking place and protecting the vulnerable populations from falling prey to criminal groups, in supporting victims of trafficking in persons, and in prosecuting offenders and bringing them to justice,” they said.

This year the day comes at a time when all countries and communities are confronting challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The pandemic has affected the lives of men and women, adults and children from diverse backgrounds and with the deterioration of the economic conditions, their vulnerability to be trafficked has increased,” read the statement.

Meanwhile, the Libyan Navy spokesman said that the coast guard rescued 18 illegal migrants off the coast of the western city of Khoms after their rubber boat broke down.

On Tuesday, Libyan security forces deported 27 Tunisians who had taken part in an illegal migration operation.

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UN: At Least 542 Killed in North Darfur in Past 3 Weeks

World Food Program (WFP) food assistance is unloaded in Tawila, where people displaced from El Fasher and Zamzam camp have arrived over the past week across four locations, in North Darfur, Sudan April 28, 2025. WFP/Mohamed Galal /Handout via REUTERS
World Food Program (WFP) food assistance is unloaded in Tawila, where people displaced from El Fasher and Zamzam camp have arrived over the past week across four locations, in North Darfur, Sudan April 28, 2025. WFP/Mohamed Galal /Handout via REUTERS
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UN: At Least 542 Killed in North Darfur in Past 3 Weeks

World Food Program (WFP) food assistance is unloaded in Tawila, where people displaced from El Fasher and Zamzam camp have arrived over the past week across four locations, in North Darfur, Sudan April 28, 2025. WFP/Mohamed Galal /Handout via REUTERS
World Food Program (WFP) food assistance is unloaded in Tawila, where people displaced from El Fasher and Zamzam camp have arrived over the past week across four locations, in North Darfur, Sudan April 28, 2025. WFP/Mohamed Galal /Handout via REUTERS

At least 542 civilians have been confirmed killed in Sudan's North Darfur region in the past three weeks, the United Nations said Thursday, warning the actual death toll was likely "much higher.”

"The horror unfolding in Sudan knows no bounds," UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement, referring to the country's ongoing civil war.

Darfur in particular has become a key battleground in the war that erupted on April 15, 2023 between the regular army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), headed by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

The war has left tens of thousands dead and triggered what aid agencies describe as the world's largest displacement and hunger crises.

The battle for El-Fasher, the last major city in Darfur to elude RSF control, has intensified in recent weeks as the paramilitaries have sought to compensate for their loss of the capital Khartoum last month.

According to AFP, Turk pointed to an attack three days ago by the RSF on El-Fasher and the Abu Shouk camp that killed at least 40 civilians.

"This brings the confirmed number of civilians killed in North Darfur to at least 542 in just the last three weeks," he said.

"The actual death toll is likely much higher."

He also cited "the ominous warning by the RSF of 'bloodshed' ahead of imminent battles with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and their associated armed movements."

"Everything must be done to protect civilians trapped amid dire conditions in and around El-Fasher."

Turk also highlighted "reports of extrajudicial executions in Khartoum state", which he described as "extremely disturbing".

"Horrific videos circulating on social media show at least 30 men in civilian clothing being rounded up and executed by armed men in RSF uniforms in Al-Salha in southern Omdurman," he said, adding that in a subsequent video, "an RSF field commander acknowledged the killings."

Those videos came after "shocking reports in recent weeks of the extrajudicial execution of dozens of people accused of collaborating with the RSF in southern Khartoum, allegedly committed by the Al-Baraa Brigade", a pro-SAF militia, Turk said.

"Deliberately taking the life of a civilian or anyone no longer directly taking part in hostilities is a war crime," he insisted.

The UN rights chief said he had "personally alerted both leaders of the RSF and SAF to the catastrophic human rights consequences of this war".

"These harrowing consequences are a daily, lived reality for millions of Sudanese. It is well past time for this conflict to stop."