The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, will travel to Libya to enhance cooperation with the national authorities on crimes against victims of human trafficking in Libya, Prosecutor Khan unveiled in a statement issued by the ICC website on Saturday.

Khan's visit comes against the backdrop of the arrest of two key suspects allegedly involved in smuggling people from Africa to Europe via Libya.

"I welcome the recent arrests in Ethiopia and the extradition to Italy and the Netherlands of two key suspects of crimes against victims of human trafficking and human smuggling in Libya," Khan said.

On 5 October, a 38-year-old man of Eritrean nationality was extradited from Ethiopia to the Netherlands, says the ICC prosecutor, and the Ethiopian authorities extradited another man on October 12 to Italy.

Khan lauded the authorities of the concerned countries and said the operation was of significant importance in the efforts towards holding the perpetrators accountable for crimes targeting migrants.

According to the ICC statement, both suspects were allegedly involved in resorting to brutal violence, including in camps located in Libya, and beatings, starvation, sexual violence, and extortion.

Prosecutor Khan considered these arrests and extraditions as a clear sign that international cooperation works. "This is the way forward if we want to ensure that no one is above the law and the impunity gap is narrowed."

The ICC Prosecutor underscored his stance that the Libyan situation is a priority for his Office and deepening cooperation with national authorities in pursuit of accountability is one of the core principles at the heart of the renewed strategy he outlined to the UN Security Council in April of this year.