German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday was set to meet Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Serraj with efforts to stabilise the North African country and resolve a refugee crisis high on the agenda.
The harsh conditions endured by migrants seeking to leave Libya were a focus of an EU-Africa summit recently, where Serraj agreed to let UN crew access sites in Libya where migrants had gathered.
U.S. media reports had revealed that some migrants are being forced into slave auctions.
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People smugglers have taken advantage of Libya’s descent into political chaos following the death of former dictator Moamer Gaddafi in 2011.
Serraj, the head of a UN-backed government based in Tripoli, only controls a relatively small part of the country.
Another large part to the east is controlled by a powerful military general.