The African Union Commission calls on Member States to expedite the evacuation and return of their respective stranded citizens in Libya.
The commission’s remark came after death of 57 of African brothers and sisters off the Coast of Libya.
More than a million Sub-Saharan Africans are believed to move to Europe Since 2010 while tens of thousands others have drowned in Mediterranean Sea during the same period.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims of the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean Sea,” AU said in a statement on Thursday.
The Commission said it reiterates its commitment to supporting Libya and AU Members States in finding durable solutions to forced displacement and irregular migration in our Continent, and to ensure such tragedies do not happen.
Further, the Commission calls on the International Community, in particular to the European Union and IOM, to take the responsibility and to support the commission to ensure that human lives are protected.
With the support of the African Union Liaison Office for Libya, the Commission will continue to work with the AU-EU-UN Task Force on Libya which managed to return and integrate more than 50,000 African migrants under their tripartite Humanitarian Return Programme, the AUC said in a statement.
MG/abj/APA