The EU supports and finances operations in North Africa to dump migrants in the middle of the desert, an investigation has claimed.
Morocco, Tunisia, and Mauritania have been accused of using EU funds to round up migrants and discard them in the Sahara, where they face kidnap, torture, sexual violence and death.
The migrants are often left without water, money, phones, or even shoes, in the world’s hottest desert. The practice is carried out in order to deter migrants from going to Europe.
An investigation by Lighthouse Reports, carried out in collaboration with the Washington Post and other international media outlets, interviewed survivors and spoke with current and former EU staff members.
An investigation has claimed that the EU supports and finances operations in North Africa to dump migrants in the middle of the desert
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“This practice is systematically applied almost exclusively against black people and has a silent accomplice: the European Union,” the investigation states.
The year-long inquiry alleges that the EU has struck deals with all three African countries to organise the operations, with sometimes being directly involved.
Tunisia has received about £128million, Mauritania £179m and Morocco £533m from Brussels.
It said that refugees in the three countries were “apprehended based on the colour of their skin, loaded onto buses and driven to the middle of nowhere, often arid desert areas”, whilst others were taken to border areas where they were allegedly “sold by the authorities to human traffickers and gangs who torture them for ransom”.
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The report said that there have been 11 dumps of up to 90 migrants each time, and the most recent one took place this month.
It is understood that at least 29 people have died so far, with dozens more missing.
A European source involved in EU-funded programs for Africa noted: “When the EU gives you money to block the borders, you have to get rid of irregular migrants on your territory. Or at least make life difficult for them.”
It said that funding from Europe was being used to train and buy equipment for units involved in the dumps - with some of the vehicles being the same make and model as one provided by European countries to the African countries’ security forces.
The practice is carried out in order to deter migrants from going to Europe
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The report listed the programmes the EU allegedly provides funding for.
Two senior EU sources said it was “impossible” to fully account for the way in which European funding was used, the report claims.
“This is a difficult situation. It’s a fast-moving situation, and we will continue to work on it,” the European Commission chief spokesman said on Tuesday.
“Sometimes the situation is challenging in our partner countries,” they added, “[but they] remain sovereign states and they continue to be in control of their national forces.”