KIGALI, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Rwandan foreign ministry on Wednesday said its door is wide open to African migrants in Libya, following media reports that said African migrants were being sold as slaves in Libya.
A CNN report that included video footage of a slave auction last month outside the Libyan capital of Tripoli, where about a dozen migrants were sold as slaves in a matter of minutes, triggered international outcry.
Libya is a preferred point of departure for migrants, mostly sub-Saharan Africans, who wish to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe due to the insecurity and chaos in the North African country following the 2011 uprising.
"Rwanda, like the rest of the world, was horrified by the images of the tragedy currently unfolding in Libya, where African men, women and children who were on the road to exile, have been held and turned into slaves," said Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and East African Community of Rwanda in a statement.
"Given Rwanda's political philosophy and its history, Rwanda cannot remain silent when human beings are being mistreated and auctioned off like cattle," said the statement.
"The government and people of Rwanda stand in solidarity with our African brothers and sisters still held in captivity," said the statement, adding that Rwanda may not be able to welcome everyone but "our door is wide open."
The foreign ministry further said Rwanda is ready to work closely with the African Union, the private sector, as well as other friends and partners to ensure that they can provide minimum comfort to those in need.
