The UN General Assembly recently adopted a resolution sponsored by Ghana condemning the Transatlantic Slave Trade as "the gravest crime against humanity." The move drew praise from Africans acknowledging the 12 to 13 million Africans forcibly transported across the Atlantic between the 16th and 19th centuries, with millions dying en route. However, critics argue this moral stance risks becoming performative when applied selectively. While Africans unite in condemning Western historical atrocities, the same urgency is missing against modern slavery in Libya and North Africa, where networks mirror the Trans-Saharan Slave Trade. The International Organisation for Migration reports hundreds of thousands of migrants traverse these routes annually, many falling into traffickers' hands. The Global Slavery Index estimates tens of millions remain in modern slavery worldwide, with heavy concentrations in Africa. In Libya, UN investigations reveal migrant markets and detention centres where Africans are sold for as little as a few hundred dollars, subjected to forced labour, torture, and sexual violence. UN Support Mission in Libya reports detail abuses in both official and unofficial facilities.
Ojo Maduekwe's pointed question exposes a glaring contradiction in African leadership. While Ghana led the UN resolution, no African Union emergency sessions or sustained diplomatic campaigns have targeted modern slavery in North Africa. This reveals how political convenience trumps genuine accountability, leaving millions trapped in conditions that echo historical atrocities.
