Collins appalled by attack on migrants in Libya

Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs & Trade Niall Collins TD has said that the EU must redouble its efforts to protect migrants and remove them from Libya following an airstrike which hit a detention centre.

The attack resulted in the deaths of 44 people and left scores of others injured.

Deputy Collins said, “The deaths of dozens of people at a detention centre in Libya following an airstrike underscores the fact that Libya is not a safe haven for migrants or refugees. I support calls for an independent investigation into this atrocity and for every effort to be made to bring the perpetrators of this appalling attack to justice.

“As my Party’s Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs & Trade, I have on numerous occasions raised my concerns regarding the horrendous conditions in the detention centres in Libya and the impact that the conflict is having on migrants and refugees. Indeed, only earlier this week I raised this matter with the Tánaiste by way of parliamentary question.

“I welcome that the Tánaiste in his reply to me has finally acknowledged that Ireland and the EU believe that detention centres are not a suitable place for migrants in Libya and should be closed. However, whilst this acknowledgement is better late than never, it is fair to say that the EU’s policy has in many respects only served to exacerbate the situation and has enabled the appalling conditions in Libya.

“It is therefore imperative that, in the first instance, the EU takes steps to better safeguard migrants and refugees. Following that, it should set about closing detention centres and removing migrants and refugees from Libya. The killing of 44 people will, I hope, act as a wake-up call that Libya is certainly not a safe haven for those seeking a better life outside their home country”.