Hundreds of African refugees and migrants passing through Libya are being bought and sold in modern-day slave markets before being held for ransom or used as forced labour or for sexual exploitation, survivors have told the UNs migration agency. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday that it had interviewed West African migrants who recounted being traded in garages and car parks in the southern city of Sabha, one of Libyas main people-smuggling centres. People are bought for between $200 and $500 and are held on average for two to three months, Othman Belbeisi, head of the IOMs Libya mission, said in Geneva. Migrants are being sold in the market as a commodity, he said. Selling human beings is becoming a trend among smugglers as the smuggling networks in Libya are becoming stronger and stronger.
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