On Tuesday, the Libyan Ministry of Interior’s Anti-Illegal Immigration Unit announced the repatriation of around a thousand migrants who entered the country illegally back to Egypt and Nigeria.
According to the Unit’s official, Colonel Mohammed Bredi’a, two trips were conducted, the first via an air journey transporting migrants from Tripoli to Nigeria. The second involved migrants, predominantly Egyptian nationals, traveling by land to the Amssad border crossing shared between Libya and Egypt.
A total of 964 migrants were deported, including 664 Egyptians and 300 Nigerians, as reported by Bredi’a.
Hundreds of migrants, including women and children, dressed in distinctive black and white uniforms, lined up before being transported to large halls where they were provided with water and basic personal supplies in small bags. Subsequently, they were transported by buses to Mitiga International Airport and the Amssad land crossing.
Libya, divided between competing authorities in the east and west, has become a focal point for tens of thousands of migrants seeking to reach Europe via the perilous sea route.
Many migrants attempt the journey to Europe through Libyan territory, risking their lives. However, thousands have been living in Libya irregularly for years, working in agriculture, construction, and trade, especially around the capital.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reports that data collected between May and June 2023 indicates the presence of over 700,000 migrants in Libya.
In June, eastern Libyan forces deported thousands of Egyptians who were in Libya illegally, sending them back to Egypt on foot across the land border, Egyptian and Libyan security sources told Reuters.
The Libyan security source told Reuters that 4,000 migrants had been found during raids on human traffickers, following a shootout between security forces and smugglers.
The Egyptian security source said only about 2,200 of the 4,000 migrants who were found by Libyan security forces were there illegally, and they were the only ones deported. Most of them were Egyptians, but some held other African nationalities.
“When they were deported, they were taken to a location close to the border, and then walked about 2 km into Egypt,” the Egyptian security source added.
The Minister of Labour, Ali al-Abed, said that the Egyptians who were deported from the eastern region in June, had entered Libya illegally.
He also rejected allegations of difficulty in obtaining a Libyan visa as a justification for entering the country illegally.
During an interview with the Libyan Al-Wasat TV the Minister said that the procedures for obtaining a Libyan visa are “easy and available to all workers, whether they are Egyptians or other nationals.”