In recent months, it has been revealed that African migrants and refugees have been sold in open markets as slaves in Libya, and are held against their will in inhumane conditions in exchange for ransom money.

The revelations sent shock waves globally and sparked protests outside Libyan embassies across Africa and Europe.

Libya is a major transit destination for migrants and refugees hoping to reach Europe by sea.

We were lied to. They beat us with sticks and a water hose. And they electrocuted us. We told them we had no money, but that did not stop them from beating us.

Human trafficking networks have prospered amid lawlessness, created by the warring militias that have been fighting for control of territories since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Through conversations via a smuggled phone, we managed to communicate with the two Eritreans stuck in Libya.

Read the harrowing first-person accounts of refugees trying to escape Libya by Fatma Naib at aljazeera.com.