Libya’s Killing Fields and the Hidden Cost of Europe’s Migration Deterrence

Libya’s killing fields and the hidden cost of Europe’s migration deterrence

Libya has ceased to function as a mere corridor between Africa and Europe. It is no longer simply a place migrants pass through on their way north. Instead, it has become a terminal zone – an endpoint where journeys collapse, people disappear, and survival is reduced to calculations of ransom, endurance, or chance. What has emerged over the past decade is not accidental cruelty or sporadic abuse, but a structured system that profits from captivi…

Libya and the brutal reality of migrant ‘deterrence’

Hafed Al-Ghwell January 10, 2026 Libya no longer functions as a transit space between Africa and Europe. It has become an endpoint. (AFP/File Photo) Libya no longer functions as a transit space between Africa and Europe. It has become an endpoint. For tens of thousands of migrants and refugees every year, Libya is where journeys…