UN sanctions trafficking kingpins

The UN Security Council has sanctioned six leaders of human trafficking networks operating in Libya – the first time traffickers have been added to an international sanctions list. BBC News reports that they are four Libyans, including the head of a regional coast guard unit, and two Eritrean nationals. Smugglers have taken advantage of insecurity in Libya to move hundreds of thousands of migrants by sea to Europe. The sanctions – a global travel ban and an assets freeze – were the result of an internationally-backed Dutch proposal. The unprecedented sanctions follow widespread outrage at the end of 2017 after CNN aired footage showing the auctioning of migrant men as slaves in Libya.

Full BBC News report