There is no slave trade in our country – Libyan government

-Libya denies running a modern slave market within its borders.

-It described the situation as a media propaganda targeted at painting the country in bad light.

Libya denies slave trade activities in the country.

The Libyan government has described reports of a thriving modern slave trading business within its borders as a campaign to portray the country as racist and accused African governments of failing to take responsibility for the well-being of their citizens.

The Libyan authorities denied in clear terms that any such inhumane activity was been perpetrated in the country.

Speaking at a special UN Security Council meeting summoned by France over the alleged slave trade business, Libyan Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Elmahdi Elmajerb, said the reports of such happenings were nothing but lies.

“Libya is the victim of a large-scale false media campaign of defamation to portray it as a racist country,” said Elmajerb.

The Libyan representative however assured all concerned that his government have commenced a full scale investigation into the immediate and remote causes of the illegal immigration.

“Any sanctions that target smugglers must also hit those traffickers operating outside Libya,” he said.

Ethiopian ambassador to the UN, also called for international collaborative efforts to destroy the network of criminal activities.

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“There is a need for urgent action to dismantle the slavery camps and destroy the criminal networks involved in this inhuman practice,” said Ethiopia’s Ambassador to UN Tekeda Alemu.

“All necessary measures must also be taken to identify all those responsible for this unspeakable and barbaric crime and bring them to justice,” he said.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari in his reaction to the saga, has given assurances that all Nigerian victims involved in the modern slave market will be evacuated from the zone.

The President further assured that his administration would put in place measures that will make Nigerians uninterested in such journeys outside the country particularly the ones that put their lives and humanity at risk.