On Thursday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) denounced the killing of 30 migrants in a shooting involving a human trafficker in Libya.
In a statement, IOM said that the incident occurred in a smuggling warehouse in Mizdah, southwest of Tripoli, where a group of migrants was being held.
Eleven migrants involved in the attack sustained severe injuries and have been rushed to the hospital.
“This senseless crime is a bleak reminder of the horrors migrants have to endure at the hands of smugglers and traffickers in Libya,” said IOM Libya Chief of Mission Federico Soda.
“These criminal groups are taking advantage of the instability and security situation [in Libya] to prey on desperate people and exploit their vulnerabilities,” he added.
The IOM is calling on Libyan authorities to immediately launch an investigation into the matter and bring those responsible to justice.
IOM medical staff who are providing assistance report that some of the migrants bore signs of beatings and physical abuse.
Meanwhile, in a separate statement on Thursday, the IOM also said that it had provided much needed relief items — including hygiene kits, clothes, and mattresses — to over 450 migrants at the Al Nasr detention center in Libya.
According to the statement, 315 migrants were transferred to the center after being intercepted at sea and returned to Libya.
Italy, one of the main destinations for migrants departing from Libya, has declared its ports unsafe since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country.
On Monday, IOM said that Libya’s coastguard had stopped nearly 400 migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean over the previous two days.
During 2020, almost 4,000 people have been intercepted or rescued at sea and returned to Libya according to data presented by IOM and other sources.
Th continuity of such incidents and the reluctance of EU countries to provide safe harbor signals a need for a shift in policy measures towards the humanitarian crisis in Libya.