The International Organization for Migration (IOM) revealed that 24,684 migrants were intercepted in the Mediterranean, and returned to Libya in 2022.
According to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, the IOM stated that the number of migrants witnessed a decrease of 24% in 2021, at 32,425 migrants.
The UN body confirmed that it recorded 1,373 drowned or missing persons, during the past year. It announced that the Libyan Coast Guard had rescued 633 migrants off the coast of Libya, and returned them from 27 November to 3 December 2022.
It has also confirmed that it has “helped repatriate 60,000 migrants from Libya to their home countries over the past seven years, in a safe and dignified manner, through the Voluntary Humanitarian Return Program.”
The IOM described this voluntary program, which has been in operation since 2015, as “a crucial lifeline for stranded migrants from 46 different countries across Africa and Asia, who want to return home and rebuild their lives.”
Notably, the IOM announced that 1,088 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya, from 25-31 December 2022.
The Italian news agency Nova reported that the Naval forces of the Libyan National Army (LNA), in the east of the country, have intercepted and returned around 3,400 migrants in the last five weeks.
“This is significant progress in combating human trafficking along the eastern Libyan route, from Cyrenaica towards Europe,” Nova said in its report.
Sources from the Ministry of the Interior said that “more than 30,000 migrants from Tripoli and about 18,000 from Cyrenaica arrived in Italy in 2022.”
The last operation took place on Friday, 30 December, off the eastern coast of Libya. Naval units intercepted a boat with between 600-700 people aboard. In a statement, the Libyan Coast Guard said that it was one of the largest interceptions of migrants seeking to reach Europe via Libya.
It noted that the boat was stopped close to the Mediterranean town of Moura, 90 kilometers (56 miles) west of Benghazi.
The Libyan Coast Guard posted images showing a large, overcrowded vessel with most of those on board appearing to be young people.
Previously, the same naval forces had reported, on 26 December, another 500 migrants intercepted at the sea.
According to the Libyan office of the IOM, eastern authorities intercepted at sea 3,404 people and returned them to Libya in the last five weeks of 2022.
