Asylum seekers in Tunisia have been sold to Libyan traffickers for as little as $12, according to human rights groups

A coalition of humanitarian organizations has alleged that sub-Saharan African migrants in Tunisia are being apprehended and sold to Libyan traffickers, and that the process is facilitated by agreements with the European Union and Italy, according to a report released on Tuesday. It claims they are detained by authorities, held in detention centers, and subsequently sold off for as little as $12 each.

The report, titled “State Trafficking: Expulsion and Sale of Migrants from Tunisia to Libya,” is based on months of research in North Africa’s shanty camps and desert detention centers. It includes testimonies from 30 people from countries such as Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, Guinea, and Ivory Coast, who recounted being sent from Tunisia to Libya between June 2023 and November 2024.

“They sold us to the Libyans. I really mean buying and selling, like for objects, they sold us like slaves,” one migrant stated in the report.

The report alleges that the capture and sale of these migrants are being “enabled” by the EU and Italy through deals with the Tunisian government aimed at curbing migration and preventing boats from crossing the Mediterranean.

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Since 2017, Rome has reportedly invested nearly $90 million in training and equipping Tunisia’s border guards. These agreements have been credited with a significant reduction in the number of migrants reaching Italy, with a reported 59% decrease in crossings from North Africa.

However, the study highlights the severe human rights violations resulting from these policies. Migrants are allegedly rounded up in Tunisian cities, transported to detention centers near the Libyan border, and sold to Libyan militias. Women are reportedly sold for higher prices, up to $90, due to their exploitation as sex slaves. The report also details instances of torture, sexual violence, and forced labor.

The European Commission has yet to comment on the report, which was presented to the bloc’s parliament by a group of left-wing legislators, who condemned the EU’s role in these human rights abuses.

“It is an appalling act of irresponsibility that European funds are being used to facilitate the trafficking of human beings between Tunisia and Libya, reducing lives to mere commodities valued at just €12 to €90,” Spanish MEP Estrella Galan stated, according to the Telegraph.

The report has called for the intensified scrutiny of the EU’s migration policies and their human rights implications, as current agreements prioritize reducing migration over safeguarding human rights, leading to systemic abuses.