Letter to the Editor Dear Editor, The Chairman of the Human Rights Association (HRA), Mr. Saad Kassis-Mohamed, has called on the Libyan authorities to immediately release all Gambian nationals allegedly being held in arbitrary detention across Libya. In a statement issued through the organisation’s Communications Director, Mr. Michael Smith of the WeCare Foundation, the HRA condemned what it described as widespread abuse, torture, forced labour, and ransom extortion targeting Gambian migrants in Libya’s official, unofficial, and militia-controlled detention centres. The HRA, an independent international human rights organisation operating across Africa, South Asia, and the Gulf region, based its concerns on a joint report published in February 2026 by the United Nations Human Rights Office and the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). According to the report, migrants in Libya are subjected to what the United Nations described as a “violent business model” built around exploitation and abuse. The report included testimonies from Gambian nationals who recounted severe mistreatment while in detention. One Gambian migrant, identified as Lamin, alleged that guards beat detainees, broke his teeth, and confiscated their belongings. He reportedly said he only agreed to deportation in order to escape the abuse. Another Gambian national, identified as Ebrima, reportedly stated that he was arrested at sea, detained without due process, and eventually deported to The Gambia without understanding the documents he had been forced to sign. The HRA further noted that since 2015, at least 3,300 Gambian nationals have been repatriated from Libya through assisted voluntary return programmes. The organisation also referenced reports from February 2026 indicating that Libyan authorities detained more than 2,000 migrants during mass raids in Sebha after demolishing migrant settlements, with reports suggesting that nearly 1,000 people may have gone missing during the operation. Additionally, two mass graves containing the bodies of migrants — some reportedly bearing gunshot wounds — were discovered in south-eastern Libya during the same period. Chairman Kassis-Mohamed urged the international community, African governments, and human rights organisations to intensify efforts to protect vulnerable migrants and hold perpetrators accountable for alleged abuses committed against migrants in Libya. The HRA said it remains available to provide further statements and engage with media organisations on the matter. Post navigation France Enacts Landmark Law to Return Colonial-Era African Artefacts The Gambia’s Award Obsession: When Vanity Takes the Place of Virtue.