ABIDJAN: A furor over migrant slave markets in Libya casts a shadow over a key summit this week that aims to promote Africa’s long-term economic growth and stability, spurred by European fears of terrorism and mass migration.
The two-day African Union (AU) and EU summit opening Wednesday in the Ivory Coast economic capital Abidjan is focused mainly on the need to create jobs for Africa’s rapidly growing population.
The summit marks what Europe sees as a potential turning point for broader and deeper ties with a continent it once colonized widely.
However, the outrage over the slave trade in Libya looms over the talks in Abidjan, with the scandal having sparked protests in Dakar as well as in Brussels and other European capitals.
AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat called for “urgent measures” to stop the abuses of black Africans in Libya, which critics say have been fueled by EU-Libyan cooperation to curb migrant crossings to Europe.
“We face an emergency,” a grim-faced Faki told reporters in Brussels last week during summit preparations with EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini.
Faki called for coordination with Libya, the AU, EU and UN to tackle the problem.
Mogherini said the summit of 55 AU and 28 EU leaders could take “joint action” on the migrants even if she stressed its aim is to build a broader partnership.
Acknowledging how the slavery revelations were “unbearable for both sides,” Mogherini said the Europeans and Africans will push the UN-backed government in Libya to prosecute the slave traders.
They will also press Libya to give UN humanitarian agencies greater access to migrant detention centers, where she said their work in the last year has improved conditions and led to the voluntary return of some 10,000 migrants to their home countries.
But rights activists have asked why it took so long for African and European leaders to condemn abuses that had been known long before US network CNN aired footage two weeks ago of slave markets near Tripoli.
Libya became a massive transit hub for sub-Saharan Africans setting sail for Europe after the fall of former ruler Muammar Qaddafi in 2011 tipped the country into chaos.
The EU has been desperate to stem the migrant influx via Libya and Turkey, the two main routes, as more than 1.5 million migrants have reached Europe since 2015.
EU officials said the influx, which sparked political divisions across the EU, and frequent terrorist attacks in Europe have been a wake-up call to tackle the root causes.
The EU has already set up multi-billion euro funds to promote Africa’s economic development while deepening counter-terrorism cooperation with African countries where militant groups are spreading.
“What happens in Africa matters for Europe, and what happens in Europe matters for Africa,” European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said before leaving for the summit. “Our partnership is an investment in our shared future,” he added in a statement.
Ahmed Reda Chami, Morocco’s ambassador to the EU who will attend the summit, said Europe had a vested long-term interest in Africa whose population is set to double by 2050 to around 2.4 billion people.
“If there is no economic development, you will have hundreds of millions of young people who have no future, who will (try to) come to Europe to find work,” Chami told AFP at his Brussels mission.
Like other leading Africans, Chami called for a “Marshall Plan” for Africa, but linked to anti-corruption measures and tailored to African needs.
The multi-billion dollar Marshall Plan launched by the US after World War II is widely credited for helping Europe achieve its current prosperity and stability.
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Libya slave trade outrage looms over key summit
Libya slave trade outrage looms over key summit
Somaliland’s Israel deal could put Berbera port at risk
BERBERA: Somaliland says its recognition by Israel could be a boon for its Berbera port. But with missiles flying across the region, it could also be a target.
Berbera port on the Gulf of Aden has been transformed by the United Arab Emirates firm DP World over the past decade into a state-of-the-art facility on one of the world’s busiest trade routes.
Berbera still handles far fewer containers than nearby Djibouti or Mombasa, but port traffic was up 30 percent from 2023 to 2025, and recent diplomatic moves could lead to much more.
A deal under negotiation with Ethiopia, a landlocked neighbor with more than 130 million inhabitants, could see traffic rise by another 80 percent, said port authority director Ali Diriye Ahmed.
Ethiopia did not respond to queries on the subject.
And Israel’s recent decision to recognize Somaliland’s independence — the first country to do so since it declared autonomy from Somalia in 1991 — promises a “tremendous increase,” said Ahmed, already envisioning an expansion of the port.
But an alliance with Israel also brings risks, particularly as the US-Israeli attacks on Iran this weekend increase the threat of regional war.
Abdel Malek Al-Houthi, leader of the Houthi group in Yemen, had already warned that any Israeli presence in Somaliland would be considered a “military target.”
“We really don’t know what is going on there. Sometimes there are 20 planes coming in a week,” said a DP World employee, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“There is a widespread assumption that there is an Israeli military or security presence that is already in the country,” a Western diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity, though any military cooperation will remain secretive.
If their presence was confirmed at the Emirati base, it could leave the port vulnerable to Houthi or Iranian missiles.
There is also a more local threat from Al-Shabab, the Somali affiliate of Al-Qaeda, that has said it will oppose any attempt by Israel to use Somaliland.
Somaliland authorities “only saw the recognition, without thinking about the future,” fears Roland Marchal, a regional specialist based at France’s Sciences Po university.
’Contribute to peace’
Hargeisa initially denied any negotiations regarding an Israeli military base on its soil, only to recently indicate that “nothing is off the table.”
“We are not partnering with Israel to be against anyone,” said Khadar Hussein Abdi, Somaliland’s minister of the presidency and adviser to President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi.
Somaliland “wants to contribute to peace in the region,” he told AFP.
In Berbera, a peaceful but little-developed city of 70,000, the atmosphere remains optimistic.
Its mayor, Abdishakur Mohamoud Hassan, said population numbers and tax revenues had soared since DP World took control of the port, allowing for free primary schools and new health clinics.
With Israel’s recognition, “we expect this city to develop similarly to Dubai,” he said with a smile, adding that he was “not afraid” of attacks by Israel’s enemies.
“If a country like Ukraine has been resisting Russia for years, we too will not be intimidated by the Houthis,” he said.
Berbera port on the Gulf of Aden has been transformed by the United Arab Emirates firm DP World over the past decade into a state-of-the-art facility on one of the world’s busiest trade routes.
Berbera still handles far fewer containers than nearby Djibouti or Mombasa, but port traffic was up 30 percent from 2023 to 2025, and recent diplomatic moves could lead to much more.
A deal under negotiation with Ethiopia, a landlocked neighbor with more than 130 million inhabitants, could see traffic rise by another 80 percent, said port authority director Ali Diriye Ahmed.
Ethiopia did not respond to queries on the subject.
And Israel’s recent decision to recognize Somaliland’s independence — the first country to do so since it declared autonomy from Somalia in 1991 — promises a “tremendous increase,” said Ahmed, already envisioning an expansion of the port.
But an alliance with Israel also brings risks, particularly as the US-Israeli attacks on Iran this weekend increase the threat of regional war.
Abdel Malek Al-Houthi, leader of the Houthi group in Yemen, had already warned that any Israeli presence in Somaliland would be considered a “military target.”
“We really don’t know what is going on there. Sometimes there are 20 planes coming in a week,” said a DP World employee, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“There is a widespread assumption that there is an Israeli military or security presence that is already in the country,” a Western diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity, though any military cooperation will remain secretive.
If their presence was confirmed at the Emirati base, it could leave the port vulnerable to Houthi or Iranian missiles.
There is also a more local threat from Al-Shabab, the Somali affiliate of Al-Qaeda, that has said it will oppose any attempt by Israel to use Somaliland.
Somaliland authorities “only saw the recognition, without thinking about the future,” fears Roland Marchal, a regional specialist based at France’s Sciences Po university.
’Contribute to peace’
Hargeisa initially denied any negotiations regarding an Israeli military base on its soil, only to recently indicate that “nothing is off the table.”
“We are not partnering with Israel to be against anyone,” said Khadar Hussein Abdi, Somaliland’s minister of the presidency and adviser to President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi.
Somaliland “wants to contribute to peace in the region,” he told AFP.
In Berbera, a peaceful but little-developed city of 70,000, the atmosphere remains optimistic.
Its mayor, Abdishakur Mohamoud Hassan, said population numbers and tax revenues had soared since DP World took control of the port, allowing for free primary schools and new health clinics.
With Israel’s recognition, “we expect this city to develop similarly to Dubai,” he said with a smile, adding that he was “not afraid” of attacks by Israel’s enemies.
“If a country like Ukraine has been resisting Russia for years, we too will not be intimidated by the Houthis,” he said.
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