The country’s rival authorities are planning to hold parliamentary and presidential elections later this year, but no date has been set.

The United Nations and the European Union support the upcoming vote.

But HRW worries “voters, candidates, and political parties” are at risk of “coercion, discrimination, and intimidation” if the ballot goes ahead.

The US-based rights group thinks the conditions needed for free and fair elections will be hard to meet in the North African state, which was thrown into chaos following the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

“Libya today couldn’t be further away from respect for the rule of law and human rights, let alone from acceptable conditions for free elections,” Eric Goldstein, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

HRW says free speech, rule of law, assembly and a “functioning judiciary that is able to deal fairly and promptly with disputes concerning the elections” must be respected.

But armed groups continue to threaten, intimidate, and attack judicial figures and officials, HRW says.

It also points out that the “legal framework for an election remains opaque”, and has urged the elections commission to conduct “transparent audits of its voter register to rule out any inaccuracies”.

The country is currently run by a myriad of rival groups, which has made it difficult to secure any kind of electoral process.

They have yet to introduce new election laws, nor have they amended articles in its constitutional declaration, which would define the powers of the elected president.

Presidential hopefuls include Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, who leads the UN-backed government of national accord, and the military commander in East Libya, Khalifa Haftar, who leads the so-called Libyan National Army (LNA).

They both agreed to hold elections within the first half of 2018 during a July 2017 meeting in Paris, which was convened by French President Emmanuel Macron.

–

Source: BBC

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Foreign Affairs Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, earlier told Parliament that a five man team from Ghana had visited six detention centres in Libya, a move that culminated in the rescue of some 72 Ghanaians from these camps.

[contextly_sidebar id=”0WRuKuK83nt13t7eRmR7hwsKcUdbKOn3″]Accordingly, those rescued will be added to 151 other Ghanaians currently in the custody of the IOM and flown back home.

But Minority Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said the security situation in Libya and the recent reports from the Libyan Attorney General on the involvement of some Ghanaians in the war in that country makes it imperative to screen the returnees.

“We want to call on the government to institute a special national security screening for all these Ghanaians returning to Ghana and we are making this call because of very obvious reasons.”

The trend of illegal migration according to some experts, is increasingly becoming a national security concern in Ghana, hence the need for firm acts to address it.

Reports have indicated that, since 2014, more than 400,000 African migrants and refugees have crossed the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy.

A recent report by IOM  indicated that, about 15,000 deaths had been recorded globally since 2014 as a result of illegal migration.

However in 2016, the number reduced to 5,143, and further decreased to 3,116 in 2017.

Despite these staggering figures, the IOM has indicated that, the actual number of deaths recorded through illegal migration far exceeds reported figures.

A few months ago some 127 Ghanaian detainees were rescued from Libya, following reports that Africans there had been subjected to inhumane treatment after giving away their life’s earnings, to make the torturous journeys through the Sahara, hoping to make it big in Europe.

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By: Marian Ansah & Duke Mensah Opoku/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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This revelation comes months after some 127 Ghanaian detainees were rescued from Libya, following reports that Africans there had been subjected to inhumane treatment after giving away their life’s earnings, to make the torturous journeys through the Sahara, hoping to make it big in Europe.

‘Staggering statistics’

The IOM’s report also ranked Ghana as one of the countries with the highest number of illegal migrants in Libya.

Out of the 12 countries ranked, Ghana came 5th with a total of 31, 251 migrants in Libya, followed by Nigeria which had a total of 29,605 migrants, and Mali with 24, 105 migrants.

Niger topped the list of countries with 78,723 migrants followed by Egypt, which had a total of 78,616 migrants in Libya.

[contextly_sidebar id=”xq9uQQnO6aY7HgLwvyM912uqm1s6kgWP”]The trend of illegal migration according to some experts, is increasingly becoming a national security concern in Ghana hence the need for firm acts to address it.

Reports have indicated that, since 2014, more than 400,000 African migrants and refugees have crossed the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy.

The IOM’s report also indicated that, about 15,000 deaths had been recorded globally since 2014 as a result of illegal migration.

However in 2016, the number reduced to 5,143, and further decreased to 3,116 in 2017.

Despite these staggering figures, the IOM has indicated that, the actual number of deaths recorded through illegal migration far exceeds reported figures.

In a bid to address the problem, the Project Manager at IOM’s Indonesia Branch, Paul Dillon, indicated at a media workshop in Accra, that the Organisation has been working in tandem with other stakeholders to roll out policies that will permanently address the problem.

Under its action programme called the “joint response”, the IOM seeks to :

• Evacuate detention centres

• Bring migrants to safety

• Offer alternatives to irregular migration

• Reintegrate returnees back home

• Include communities of origin

‘Reversing illegal migration’

President Nana Akufo-Addo had vowed to reverse the trend of illegal migration by Ghanaians, by building a sound economy with opportunities for all.

In an address at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, the President stated that it was inappropriate for any Ghanaian to go through the life threatening ordeal of an immigrant.

“There have always been adventurous Ghanaians who would go out and try their luck in other parts of the world but the periods of economic collapse turned our country into places of wholesale emigration,” the President noted.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah

The post Over 53,000 Ghanaian illegal migrants still in Libya – Report appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to him this will deter the youth from undertaking such deadly and dangerous journeys.

Brong Ahafo is noted as a transit point for youths in the country who make the trip to Libya and subsequently to Europe to seek greener pastures.

The Banda MP who lamented over the issue said he will rally his other colleague MPs in the Brong Ahafo Region to put resources together in a bid to develop the entrepreneurial skills of youth in the area to reduce the incidence of immigration.

The Banda MP noted that issues of illegal migration and unemployment have become global threats to development and called for a holistic approach in tackling it.

The Deputy Minority Chief Whip made this known when he was named as the young politician of the year in Brong Ahafo.

The Brong Ahafo Young Achievers Awards is a scheme to award hardworking individuals and organizations for their dedication and exemplary leadership.

The programme was on the theme “Curbing the problem of illegal migration in the Brong Ahafo region” and was organised by Kingdom Management with support from Brong Ahafo NYA and International Organization for Migration.

He complained that there is currently disunity amongst Members of Parliament which he said affected development in the Region.

“In Brong Ahafo, both NDC and NPP the political struggle for supremacy is too much. When a party wins power, their MPs do things without consulting the opponent. So, we do not unite and solve our problems but it is different in others regions. We the parliamentarians from this region have to unite irrespective of our political divide to help enlighten our youth, right from the Senior High School on how to make it in the country through entrepreneurship and career development seminars to sustain their interest in working here and investing in our economy. This should be our priority rather than unnecessary bickering and power struggle,” he lamented.

Other awardees were Nana Kyei Adoma Samuel (KAS) of Suncity Radio, Alhaji Yahya of Ark FM, Kofi Adoma of Adoma FM, Aboagye Boadi Yaw of Space FM, Angel Kwadwo Brefo of Winners FM and Sandra Ozwald, who won the overall best youth achiever for her quality men’s shoes from her manufacturing company Ozwald Shoes.

‘Slave trade in Libya’

In November 2017, footages from CNN of youth from Sub-saharan Africa being sold at slave markets in Libya went viral, attracting International criticism.

The heartbreaking images also showed some migrants being tortured to death by individuals in Libyan military wears.

Following the story, some 127 Ghanaians were subsequently rescued from Libya after reports that these Ghanaians and some other black Africans were reported to have been subjected to inhumane treatment after giving away their life’s earnings and making torturous journeys through the Sahara hoping to make it big in Europe.

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By: Mashoud Kombat/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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In an effort to stem migration, the EU is actively supporting a “system of abuse and exploitation” on Libyan shores, the group said in a report.

EU funds are going to authorities working with militias and people smugglers, the report says.

The EU has provided ships, training and funding to the Libyan coastguard.

Libya is the main thoroughfare for migrants trying to reach Europe. Arrivals in Italy – the main destination for boat crossings – fell sharply following the provision of EU funds to the Libyan coastguard.

But Amnesty says the coastguard is working with criminal gangs and people smugglers who are guilty of a range of abuses, with the knowledge of EU officials.

It alleges that the drive to stem migration has resulted in “mass, arbitrary and indefinite detention” of refugees and migrants.

Refugees and migrants intercepted by the Libyan Coast Guard are sent to detention centres run by Libya’s general directorate for combating illegal migration (DCIM).

Amnesty said about 20,000 people were currently detained at these centres, and it had testimony showing detainees were subject to “torture, forced labour, extortion, and unlawful killings” at the hands of authorities, traffickers, and militias.

“Tens of thousands are kept indefinitely in overcrowded detention centres where they are subjected to systematic abuse,” said John Dalhuisen, Amnesty’s Europe Director.

“European governments have not just been fully aware of these abuses; by actively supporting the Libyan authorities in stopping sea crossings and containing people in Libya, they are complicit in these abuses.”

When a BBC correspondent visited a detention centre earlier this year, detainees described violence and abuse and conditions “like hell” and “even worse than jail”.

Speaking to Amnesty, one man from the Gambia who was detained for three months said he was starved and beaten.

“They beat me with a rubber hose, because they want money to release me. They call the family while beating [you] so the family send money,” he said.

The human rights group said it believed it had enough evidence to take EU governments to court.

Libya has spiraled into lawlessness since Nato-backed forces overthrew long-serving ruler Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011, with a myriad armed militias vying for control.

–

Source: BBC

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The North African country has been plunged into chaos nearly years after its leader; Muammar Gaddafi was killed in an operation carried out by the United States and its allies during the 2011 uprising.

[contextly_sidebar id=”uqLH7ARsGnAaueT3qMPIv5DwVrrB7d1E”]Former US President Barack Obama admitted in a 2016 interview, days before his handing over that his regime’s toppling of the Libyan president was his worst mistake.

Speaking on Citi FM’s news analysis programme, The Big Issue over the weekend, Franklin Cudjoe said he believes that “maybe the AU let him [Gaddafi] down in a way.”

Franklin Cudjoe also added that, mistakes Gaddafi committed while in office also led to his downfall.

“I believe he also made mistakes. I think he shouldn’t have been totally repressive, calling his people rats,” the IMANI Ghana boss added.

Slave trade in Libya

Mr. Cudjoe made the remark on the back of a supposed modern day slave trade ongoing in Libya.

About two weeks ago, footages from CNN of youth from Sub-saharan Africa being sold at slave markets in Libya went viral, attracting International criticism.

The heartbreaking images also showed some migrants being tortured to death by individuals in Libyan military wears.

There has been a wave of condemnations across Africa, especially due to the silence of the continent’s leaders and groups like the AU and ECOWAS over the incident.

127 Ghanaians repatriated

Some 127 Ghanaians were last week rescued from Libya after reports that these Ghanaians and some other black Africans were reported to have been subjected to inhumane treatment after giving away their life’s earnings and making torturous journeys through the Sahara hoping to make it big in Europe.

Group petitions AU to investigate ‘slave trade’ in Libya

In a related development, a civil society group known as “The Future Group,” has petitioned the African Union (AU), to investigate reports of a supposed modern day slave trade in Libya.

The group said the reports are “heart wrecking” and are “very serious crimes against humanity” hence AU must take up the issue.

–

By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post AU let Gaddafi down – Franklin Cudjoe appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to him, the youth primarily need to persevere and be determined to succeed instead of seeking greener pastures in other countries like Libya or in Europe.

[contextly_sidebar id=”jiLzF1YaT3WdGemc6pPwnO2P1RbpWR7A”]He suggested that bad leadership and a corresponding poor economic condition was not a good enough reason to undertake such deadly voyage.

Mustapha Hamid’s comment comes on the back of the global wave over modern slavery involving black Africans in Libya.

Reports indicate that victims of the dehumanizing practice including Ghanaians, Ethiopians, Sudanese and Nigerians who left their countries to seek greener pastures in Libya, with some using that country as a route through the Mediterranean into Europe.

Some have said that the illegal immigrants cannot be blamed for the situation, rather, the leadership of the various countries for their superintending poor economic conditions.

But Mustapha Hamid who spoke at an Open Forum on migration at the University of Ghana, said, “let us tell our young people, that… even if the devil is president of Ghana, and they have the willpower, the determination to succeed in their country, then they will succeed.”

He noted that the Ghanaian youth need to change their mindset and develop ingenious ways to succeed rather than accumulating money to travel illegally to Europe.

He said they should invest their monies into profitable ventures and ideas that will help them succeed in the country.

“If you have been able to….like somebody said, mobilize $1,500 of your money, that means you are ingenious enough to succeed in this country,” he said noting that the Ghanaian youth must change his perception and develop a spirit that will enable him thrive in the country even under the worse economic circumstance.

127 Ghanaian detainees in Libya return home

A total of 127 Ghanaian illegal migrants who were in detention camps in Libya returned home last Wednesday.

The Ghanaians and some other black Africans were reported to have been subjected to inhumane treatment after giving away their life’s earnings and making torturous journeys through the Sahara hoping to make it big in Europe.

Two chartered flights full of Ghanaians touched down at the Kotoka International Airport on Wednesday night.

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By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post You can succeed in Ghana even if devil is president – Hamid tells youth appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

About two weeks ago, footages from CNN of youth from Sub-saharan Africa being sold at slave markets in Libya went viral, attracting International criticism.

The heartbreaking images also showed some migrants being tortured to death by individuals in Libyan military wears.

There has been a wave of condemnations across Africa, especially due to the silence of the continent’s leaders and groups like the AU and ECOWAS over the incident.

Speaking on Citi FM’s News analysis and current affairs  programme, The Big Issue, Rainer Akumperigya said,  it was essential for an external body,  such as the UN , to establish the facts and ensure sanctions against individuals and entities behind the inhumane act.

“The UN might have to investigate this, set up a commission, because in the absence of the organized system within Libya, we might have to resort international laws, but the fact must be known first”he said.

The Libyan government is reported to have said it did not have an organized system to investigate the issue.

“When the facts started emerging, I read one of the reactions from a media house in Libya, trying to whitewash it and to say that this was a cooked up story and that CNN had faked it,” he said.

The Lawyer thus believes if an external investigative body is involved, it will be able to investigate properly to clear our conscience as to whether this was an attack based on ethnicity or race.

“If we have an external investigative body establish the facts and know the extent to which the crime has been committed, we may be looking at ethnic profiling here. If you look at the video and the pictures, it was basically black Africans, so was this a more target race issue”? he asked.

127 Ghanaians repatriated 

Some 127 Ghanaians were last week rescued from Libya after reports that these Ghanaians and some other black Africans were reported to have been subjected to inhumane treatment after giving away their life’s earnings and making torturous journeys through the Sahara hoping to make it big in Europe.

Group petitions AU to investigate ‘slave trade’ in Libya

In a related development, a civil society group known as “The Future Group,” has petitioned the African Union (AU), to investigate reports of a supposed modern day slave trade in Libya.

The group said the reports are “heart wrecking” and are “very serious crimes against humanity” hence AU must take up the issue.

–

By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post UN must investigate ‘slave trade’ reports in Libya – Lawyer appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Some 127 Ghanaians were last week rescued from Libya after reports that these Ghanaians and some other black Africans were reported to have been subjected to inhumane treatment after giving away their life’s earnings and making torturous journeys through the Sahara hoping to make it big in Europe.

[contextly_sidebar id=”MWY8UwczLdDzyCUgzuEQwxsgsYfY7nZj”]The reports also suggested that some of the African migrants in Libya were being sold into slavery; although the Ghana government said no Ghanaian was involved.

The group said the reports are “heart wrecking” and are “very serious crimes against humanity” hence AU must take up the issue.

“Slavery and slave trade are very serious crimes against humanity. In light of that, the African Union has enacted many Charters, Protocols, Principles and Treaties to prevent its repeat. Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights states that, ‘every individual shall have the right to the respect of the dignity inherent in a human being and to the recognition of his legal status.’ This Libyan case will show if the African Union is any organization that must be taken seriously,” the group said in the petition.

Ghanaian detainees in Libya paid for their release

While briefing Parliament on the Libyan issue last week, Foreign Affairs Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, disclosed that some of the Ghanaian detainees in that country were forced to pay various amounts before they were released.

According to her, some of them paid as much as GHc5, 000 before they were discharged.

“Some family members of the Ghanaian detainees have had to pay ransoms, sometimes as much as GHc5, 000 to secure their release. It is possible that those detainees whose families could not mobilize resources to pay the ransom had been sold off,” she added.

Slave trade in Libya a mockery of African unity – Nana Addo

Pictures of slave markets and gross abuse of black Africans are awash on social media after CNN uncovered the disturbing human trade in the once safe country that is now in tatters after the overthrow of Muammar Mohammed Abu Minyar Gaddafi.

The heartbreaking images also showed some migrants being tortured to death by individuals in Libyan military wears.

There has been a wave of condemnations across Africa, especially due to the silence of the continent’s leaders and groups like the AU and ECOWAS over the incident.

In a statement on social media, President Akufo-Addo condemned the slave auctions, saying they make a mockery of African unity.

Click here for the full petition:

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post Group petitions AU to investigate ‘slave trade’ in Libya appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Video footage by CNN captured youth from sub-Saharan countries being sold for $400(£300) in discreet locations in the North African country.

[contextly_sidebar id=”jIIJMGFstt5GDT4L9SectmW6EuhlmTQR”]Leaders from Africa and Europe have since advocated for the resolution of such ‘barbaric’ acts.

Speaking at a meeting with French President, Emmanuel Macron, Nana Akufo-Addo said he was committed to seeing a resolution to the crisis in Libya as the situation is very dear to him and the country.

The President called on African leaders, with the help of the Western world to fast-track processes to end the act saying “it is a matter of primordial concern for us in this region. If we don’t come to grips with the situation in Libya, it is going to become difficult to come to grips with what I consider to be ancillary subsidiary matters that are taking place.”

‘Slave trade in Libya a mockery of African unity’

The President in an earlier tweet had also indicated that reports of African migrants in Libya being sold into slavery and being subjected to other atrocities make a mockery of African unity.

In a statement on social media, President Akufo-Addo condemned the slave auctions, which were brought to light in the special report by CNN.

“The current slave auctions of Africans in Libya are not only gross and scandalous abuses of human rights, but are also mockeries of the alleged solidarity of African nations grouped in the African Union (AU), of which Libya is a member,” President Akufo-Addo stated.

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By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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