On Saturday, the Spokesperson for Gambia’s Foreign Ministry announced that 87 Gambian migrants were voluntarily repatriated from Libya, over the past 72 hours.
This initiative underscores the efforts taken by various nations, to address the dire humanitarian circumstances faced by African migrants in Libya.
The flights had been organized by the government in collaboration with the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The Spokesperson, speaking to the Agence France-Presse (AFP), reported that an additional 40 Gambian migrants were repatriated from Tunisia on Friday. These migrants had previously been left stranded on the Libya-Tunisia border.
They further detailed that this repatriation mission from Tunisia, also involved the return of a separate group of migrants stranded in Libya, demonstrating the wider scale of the crisis.
Human Rights Watch recently reported that Tunisia had deported approximately 1,200 Africans, to remote and isolated areas bordering Libya and Algeria.
This latest wave of repatriations is part of broader efforts by several West African countries, including Burkina Faso, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, and Senegal. These nations have taken swift action to repatriate hundreds of their citizens from Tunisia following incidents of targeted attacks.
The Gambian government, in particular, has returned about 300 of its migrants, a majority of whom were stranded in Libya, during June and July of this year.
These ongoing efforts by West African nations underscore their dedication to safeguarding their overseas citizens. It also highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive international approach to the persisting migrant crisis in the region. These endeavours represent a beacon of hope for the numerous migrants trapped in North Africa and a plea for a global, unified response to the escalating migration dilemma.
The migrant crisis has been an ongoing issue in Africa, particularly in regions like North Africa and West Africa.
A significant number of migrants have sought to migrate to Europe for better economic opportunities, or to escape political instability or conflict. These migrants often undertake dangerous routes through the Sahara to reach countries like Libya and Tunisia.
Unfortunately, many of these migrants find themselves stranded, often under terrible conditions. They may face exploitation, violence, and severe deprivation. Libya, in particular, has become notorious for its detention centers, where migrants are reportedly subjected to inhumane treatment.
The situation has been further complicated by the political instability in some transit countries. For instance, since the overthrow of long-term leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has been engulfed in chaos and conflict, making the situation even more precarious for migrants.
