(MENAFN)Migrants being sold off into slavery in the war-torn country of Libya have described it as a "total hell" that they would not wish on their "worst enemy".

After surviving regular whippings and forced labor in the fields, Moussa Sanogo flew back to Ivory Coast, saying "We were slaves,"

"For the Arabs [Libyan jailers], black-skinned men are nothing but animals- animals were treated better." he said after spending more than four months in Libya in attempts to get to Italy by boat.

Libya has long been a major transit hub for migrants trying to escape to Europe.

MENAFN2311201700450000ID1096135133