On Saturday, the Libyan National Army (LNA) successfully managed to liberate over 1,000 migrants, including women and children, from a human trafficking ring near the town of Al-Shuwayrif.
This operation is a crucial step in Libya’s ongoing battle against organized crime and efforts to stabilize the country’s volatile borders.
The LNA’s Tariq bin Ziyad Brigade carried out the raid that led to the liberation of the migrants. According to Colonel Khalifa Al-Abidi, Director of the Media Office for the LNA, most of the rescued migrants were of African origin, held in a large human trafficking compound in Al-Shuwayrif, strategically located between Misrata and Sebha.
In addition to freeing the migrants, the operation also resulted in the arrest of the gang responsible for these illegal activities. “The rescued individuals have been relocated to a safe area where they are receiving necessary care, including shelter and medical attention,” Al-Abidi confirmed, underscoring the humanitarian success of the mission.
During the raid, the LNA also uncovered significant quantities of narcotics, indicating the gang’s involvement in broader criminal activities. This successful operation is part of the LNA’s broader strategy to dismantle organized crime networks operating within Libya, a country that has become a major transit point for migrants attempting to reach Europe.
This latest success comes as the LNA intensifies its efforts to secure southern Libya, a region increasingly destabilized by conflicts in neighboring countries like Mali, Niger, and Chad. Earlier this month, LNA spokesman Major General Ahmed Al-Mismari confirmed the deployment of additional troops to reinforce border security and support military operations in the southwest.
Al-Mismari emphasized that these reinforcements are aimed at two key objectives: securing Libya’s borders against illegal immigration and stabilizing the region, which faces increased threats from the spillover of conflicts in neighboring states. These regional challenges have been compounded by the activities of criminal networks exploiting Libya’s ongoing instability.
