Eritrean refugees violently forced to disembark in unsafe port in Libya
Aljazeera reports that Libyan security forces raided a ship, using rubber bullets and tear gas to force the refugees to disembark in the Libyan city Misrata. A commander of the Libyan coast guard said that some migrants were wounded during the operation, but were better “in good condition” after being brought to the hospital. Reportedly, two underaged Eritreans were among those seriously injured. The group had refused to leave the ship as they feared abuse and being sold to people smugglers.
UN Security Council removes Eritrea sanctions after nine years: responses
The UN Security Council voted on Wednesday 14 November to lift the 9-year-old sanctions against Eritrea following its peace deal with Ethiopia. According to Karen Pierce, UK’s ambassador to the UN, the peace played a significant role in removing sanctions. In July, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrea’s President Isaias Afwerki announced that they would restore diplomatic and trade links and officially end a decades-old war.
Eritrean refugees refuse to leave boat after interception, prefer starvation over life in Libya
Having been intercepted on the Mediterranean Sea, a group of 79 Eritrean refugees has pledged not to leave the boat they boarded to reach Europe and are starving now, say refugees in two videos posted on Facebook. The group was brought back to the Libyan coast, presumably by the Libyan coast guard. A young man who says he is 16 years old stated that he had lived in Libya since 2016 and had been sold three times, that he had been punished and that his brother died during his stay. He said that he does not care if he gets killed and that the whole group have decided that they will stay on the boat until they die. “If you saw this condition, I swear to you, even for a microsecond no one can live this life in this country.”