Sold for $12: The dark side of EU’s border crusade

A comprehensive investigation has uncovered systematic human trafficking operations between Tunisia and Libya, allegedly enabled by EU-funded border policies.

A harrowing new report titled “State Trafficking: Expulsion and Sale of Migrants from Tunisia to Libya” reveals that Tunisian authorities are selling detained migrants to Libyan traffickers for roughly $12 per person.

The investigation details a coordinated system involving Tunisian security forces and Libyan armed groups. Women reportedly face even greater exploitation, with trafficking prices reaching $95. The findings stem from extensive field research, including firsthand accounts from survivors held in Libyan detention facilities.

Systematic detention and transfer of sub-Saharan African migrants involve direct participation of border security forces, with operations centred around facilities like Al-Assah prison. The network connects to EU and Italian border security funding and is integrated with broader criminal networks across the region.

European funding has played a significant role, with Italy alone providing $95.2 million to Tunisia’s border forces since 2017. While these policies have reduced Mediterranean crossings by 59%, humanitarian organisations argue this has come at a severe human cost.

A Spanish MEP, Estrella Galán, criticised the situation: “It is an appalling act of irresponsibility that European funds are being used to facilitate the trafficking of human beings… reducing lives to mere commodities.”

The report highlights Libya’s complex political landscape, with power divided between the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity and eastern authorities, creating conditions where such networks can operate with limited oversight.

Survivors’ testimonies paint a harrowing picture of the situation. “They took us to the Libyan border. That’s where all the hatred in the world was unleashed. They beat us, they gave us electric shocks,” one account states.

Another survivor witnessed family members being sold: “We were treated like objects. One of my brothers was sold before my eyes, along with his wife and their one-year-old child.”

Once inside Libya, migrants face imprisonment in squalid detention centers where they endure beatings, starvation, and forced labor.

Those unable to pay face forced labor, sexual violence, or further trafficking, with some being exchanged for fuel and drugs in Libya’s vast illicit economy.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​