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MPs have called on the British government to take urgent action to prevent African migrants being sold as slaves in Libya.

Footage of young men being auctioned off as farm workers, broadcast by CNN, has prompted international outrage.

A debate on the issue, in the House of Commons, was triggered by a petition supported by celebrities including Cara Delevingne, Naomi Campbell and Stormzy.

The government says tackling modern-day slavery is a foreign policy priority.

Migrants trying to reach Europe have spoken of being held by smugglers and forced to work for little or no money.

The CNN footage showed migrants from Niger and other sub-Saharan countries being sold for about £300 each.

At a parliamentary debate on Monday, MPs accused the government of failing to persuade the authorities in Libya to crack down on the slave trade.

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The Conservative MP Paul Scully said “I am asking the UK government to put pressure on the Libyan government to take immediate action to stop these criminals from selling more people, to set current prisoners free, arrest the criminals and end this.”

Labour’s Afzal Khan said the scenes from Libya were “shocking and horrific”.

Chris Law, of the Scottish National Party, said that while the UK Government’s approach to modern slavery had slowly improved in recent years, it now had to co-ordinate global action by ‘leading from the front’.

Jan Mukiibi, who is 19 and from London, attended one of the anti-slavery protests held in London earlier this month. She said it was important for Africans across the world to unite against any return to slavery.

She said: “The UK is one of the most powerful countries in the world, the government should intervene and send troops. What’s happening is immoral, we need to show we won’t stand for this.

“The debate is a step in the right direction but I still think more can be done, an injustice anywhere is an injustice everywhere.”

Note: This story is auto-generated from ‘BBC News’ syndicated feed and has not been edited by Africa Prime News staff.

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Uganda’s parliament has approved a constitutional change that will allow the current president to run for an unprecedented sixth term in office.

After three days of debate, MPs voted overwhelmingly to remove the age limit of 75 for presidential candidates.

It means 73-year-old President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled for more than 30 years, can seek re-election in 2021.

A two-term limit was scrapped in 2005 to allow Mr Museveni to stand for a third term.

But that limit has been reinstated following criticism that Mr Museveni could now become president for life.

His supporters argue that Ugandans can always vote him out of power.

• Who is President Museveni?
• Find out more about Uganda

Opposition MPs walked out of the debate on more than one occasion, and six were suspended for protesting against the bill.

The constitutional amendment, which was spearheaded by Mr Museveni’s governing National Resistance Movement (NRM), was presented to MPs in September and led to chaotic scenes in parliament.

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Tempers flared and lawmakers were filmed brawling after it was alleged an MP had brought a gun into the chamber.

Local media reported that it took 20 minutes for the commotion to calm down.

A leading opposition figure was also reportedly arrested trying to mobilise protesters, a police spokesperson said.

President Museveni has led Uganda since 1986, having seized power at the head of a rebel army.

He won fresh terms in office in presidential elections in February 2011 and 2016, but the opposition, along with Commonwealth, US and European Union observers, complained about the fairness and transparency of the votes.

Note: This story is auto-generated from ‘BBC News’ syndicated feed and has not been edited by Africa Prime News staff.

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The new leader of South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC), Cyril Ramaphosa, has pledged to fight corruption and pursue a policy of “radical economic transformation”.

Closing the party’s conference, he said tackling unemployment and poverty should also be key party policies.

Mr Ramaphosa was elected on Monday to succeed President Jacob Zuma as party leader.

He is in a strong position to become president at elections in 2019.

“This conference has resolved that corruption must be fought with the same intensity and purpose that we fight poverty, unemployment and inequality,” he told delegates at the end of the five-day conference.

“We must also act fearlessly against alleged corruption and abuse of office within our ranks.”

He said that the party had approved the seizure of land without compensation, but he cautioned against undermining the economy and food production.

A careful tightrope

Analysis by Lebo Diseko, BBC News, Johannesburg

It was a long wait for Cyril Ramaphosa’s speech, which had been scheduled for Wednesday morning. When he finally made it at around midnight, he congratulated his party on having emerged from conference “united”.

But there are many who point to issues like the alleged disappearance of 68 votes, cast for the powerful position of secretary general, and argue that splits in the party could well deepen.

Mr Ramaphosa’s choice of words on the land issue was interesting. They reflect the careful tightrope the ANC is trying to walk: Addressing the concerns of the majority black population, whilst trying to assuage the business community and allay comparisons to its neighbour Zimbabwe.

There was also the expected condemnation of corruption in government and so-called state capture. What was not expected was his swipe at corporate corruption, and thinly veiled reference to the recent Steinhoff scandal.

Again this is indicative of the delicate balance Mr Ramaphosa is trying to achieve. He wants to let investors know he is serious about correcting the issues of the recent past, and convince black voters that he will equally address the mistakes of white-owned businesses.

The ANC has been under pressure to redress disparities which mean white farmers still own much of the best land in South Africa, more than two decades after the end of apartheid.

“This conference has resolved that the expropriation of land without compensation should be among the mechanisms available to government to give effect to land reform and redistribution,” he said.

“It has also been resolved that we ensure we do not undermine the agricultural production or the economy – that is what is important.”

Mr Ramaphosa praised his defeated rival for the ANC leadership, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

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The leadership battle caused fierce political infighting, raising fears that the party might split before the 2019 election.

President Zuma has been embroiled in a series of corruption scandals – he denies any wrongdoing – and support for the ANC has declined in recent elections. However, it still gained more than 50% of the national vote in local polls last year.

Cyril Ramaphosa at a glance:

• Born in Soweto, Johannesburg, in 1952
• Detained in 1974 and 1976 for anti-apartheid activities
• Launched the National Union of Mineworkers in 1982
• Chairman of the National Reception Committee which prepared for Nelson Mandela’s release from prison in 1990
• Became an MP and chairman of constitutional assembly in 1994
• Moved full-time into business in 1997, becoming one of South Africa’s richest businessmen
• On the board of mine-owners Lonmin during 2012 Marikana massacre of striking miners
• Became South Africa’s deputy president in 2014
• Elected ANC leader in 2017

Analysts say Mr Ramaphosa may move to sack Mr Zuma in the coming weeks, however this would need the backing of the party leadership.

In a separate development, the ANC conference passed a resolution to direct the government to downgrade the South African embassy in Israel to a liaison office.

It described the move as a “practical expression of support to the oppressed people of Palestine”.

Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump caused widespread controversy when he announced the US would recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and relocate its embassy there from Tel Aviv.

Note: This story is auto-generated from ‘BBC News’ syndicated feed and has not been edited by Africa Prime News staff.