Patrols affiliated with the Libyan National Army (LNA) have intercepted a group of irregular migrants attempting to enter the country through desert routes.
The media office of Brigade 444 reported the seizure of several fuel trucks involved in smuggling. The confiscated fuel was distributed to civilians travelling on the main road heading south.
The statement highlighted that fuel smuggling operations are carried out by “unscrupulous individuals aiming to deprive Libyans of their resources.”
It also condemned human trafficking networks that expose vulnerable migrants to danger and peril in the desert or the sea, without valuing human lives.
Last month, Benghazi branch of the Anti-Illegal Immigration Agency announced the transfer of 238 Egyptian migrants to the Amsaed land border crossing for deportation.
Among them, three were handed over by the Internal Security Agency, 11 were subject to deportation orders from the public prosecutor’s office, and 69 were referred by the Libyan National Army (LNA) after being apprehended attempting to migrate to Italy. Additionally, four were diagnosed with hepatitis, according to the Anti-Illegal Immigration Agency.
Furthermore, the agency received 145 migrants from its Tripoli branch, who were also transported to the Amsaed land border crossing for deportation.
Meanwhile, the agency revealed the transfer of 43 migrants from various nationalities, including Eritrea, Ethiopia, Syria, Niger, Nigeria, Yemen, and Ghana, to the immigration branch in Sirte for eventual deportation to the immigration branch in Tripoli.
In January, the 444th Brigade announced on Sunday the interception of convoys of trucks carrying fuel, intended to be smuggled out of the country.
The brigade pointed out that its desert patrols also successfully apprehended vehicles loaded with illegal migrants.
Those migrants entered the country intending to cross the sea in migration operations, overseen by organized international gangs from Ethiopia, Eritrea, and other countries, according to the statement.
