Slavery in Libya: Where is the AU?

Libya is committing crimes against humanity while the African Union and the UN are watching as black people are enslaved on the African soil! Arab slave trade in Africa continued long after it was abolished — this repeat of this trade of hell must be stopped now.

Our people where smuggled out and auctioned across the world because of the color of their skin. Since then, we black Africans have been taken advantage–we exist at the mercy of White or light skinned people. We are black people but not full humans. We are commodities to be sold at will–we are humans without sanctity; we are simply too black to be seen. I can assure you that the world would have responded differently if white people were enslaved in Libya. But these are black animals–so who cares? There is no reason to pretend we are not seeing it–our fellow humans are being being auctioned, called in animals, forced to work without pay, and enslaved.

I am so disappointed that black African presidents are unmoved by this evil. We may wait for America or Europe to stop this mess– but at their own time. Black Africa can stop it right now–they must move in to liberate the captives in Libya.

There is nothing to be lost by addressing how Arabs have treated us Black people. The Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir committed genocide on Black people. Yet our useless African Union dominated by Black presidents has protected him from being held responsible. Black presidents love him at the AU!

Let us face it—Libya is degrading us. Unless we all stand up against Libya, Black lives will continue to be commodities to benefit Libya. We may say that we have We cannot continue to hide by the claim of African Unity—it is the unity of the skin! We must stand up against it now – future generations will judge us.

It is shameful that we turn the blind eye on slavery in our time. We did not know then how many Africans died during this trade of hell, but that was then. Today we must stand up to Libya and let them know that we know what is going on in the world.

I fully agree that our ancestors watched as Arabs took our own as slaves. They did not have the knowledge and the power to stop it–but we do. We must realize that the auctioning of another human being is an insult and attack on all of us. This barbaric trend needs to be stopped at any cost; and perpetrators of this crimes against humanity must arrested and tried. I believe the AU can address this crisis—Libya is not on planet Mars–it is in Africa.

By Rev. Kapya Kaoma