Two years after EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell’s comments describing the non-European world as a “jungle” provoked significant controversy, the EU is facing heightened criticism for its ruthless efforts to maintain fortress Europe.
The latest controversy stems from reports of mass human rights violations in Libya and Tunisia, which have been the recipients of millions of dollars from the European Union in exchange for guarantees to limit migration from North Africa. The region has been chronically destabilized by Western political interference, culminating in a NATO-backed regime change operation in Libya. More recently, Ukraine and US Gulf allies have come under scrutiny for their role in arming and financing terrorist groups across the Sahel.
“How is that reduction achieved?” asked Refugees in Libya spokesman David Yambio, referring to EU efforts to stem migration that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has recently lauded. “People are incarcerated, women are raped and children are dumped and left to die in the desert; this is happening on a daily basis.”
“Each agreement made with the Tunisian and Libyan regime is a death sentence for migrants and refugees,” Yambio claimed.
An explosive report in the British newspaper The Guardian this week detailed mass abuse of migrants by Libyan and Tunisian government officials colluding with human smugglers. Hundreds of cases of beatings, torture and rape have been documented by watchdog organizations.
Women are routinely robbed, sexually assaulted, and left for dead in the desert, the media revealed.
The report represents the most significant evidence yet of the dire conditions faced by migrants in North Africa as reports of mass human rights violations have circulated over the past several years. But European politicians have nonetheless been compelled to continue anti-migration efforts as immigration emerges as a significant issue across the continent.
Recently the controversial right-wing Alternative für Deutschland party enjoyed its best performance yet in regional elections in eastern Germany, riding to prominence over concerns over immigration policy and Europe’s ongoing support for the Ukraine proxy war.
Right-wing Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took power in 2022 on similar concerns over mass migration. Meloni has since helped pioneer the EU’s controversial immigration policies.
“The families of detained Tunisian opposition politicians, who are already funding a case against the Tunisian authorities, are making a new submission to the international criminal court (ICC) next week demanding it open an investigation into crimes against humanity against sub-Saharan migrants,” reports The Guardian.
The international body is tasked with prosecuting crimes against humanity across the globe, but its power has been brought into question in recent months as Israel consistently rebuffs its attempts to investigate alleged genocide in the besieged Gaza strip. Germany, the United States, and other Western countries have largely defended Israel as the official death toll from its military operation in the Palestinian territory surpasses 41,000.
“These abuses are the horrifying yet entirely predictable violations that always result from these kinds of deals,” said European Council on Refugees and Exiles director Catherine Woollard, blasting the EU’s ongoing partnership with Libyan and Tunisian officials despite reports of abuses.
As the West continues to portray itself as the global defender of democracy and human rights, the evidence suggests its actual role in the world remains as destructive as ever.