More than 60% of the migrants who arrived in Italy in 2024 departed from Libya, according to Nova news agency.
A total of 33,349 migrants reached Italy from Libya, accounting for 60.1% of the 54,577 total arrivals. In comparison, 17,309 migrants, or 31.7%, arrived from Tunisia.
Nova’s analysis highlights that despite dominating migration routes, departures from Libya have decreased by 18.6% compared to the 40,966 migrants recorded during the same period in 2023.
Most of the migrants departing Libya embarked from Tripoli, with only 939 arrivals from the eastern region of Cyrenaica, reversing last year’s trend, when more migrants left from the east, which is under General Khalifa Haftar’s control. Migrants sailing from Cyrenaica to Greece were not included in the Italian figures.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that 18,646 migrants were intercepted at sea and returned to Libya as of 12 October 2024. These include 16,386 men, 1,330 women, 619 children, and 311 individuals whose gender could not be determined. Despite fewer fatalities than in 2023, the Central Mediterranean route remains one of the deadliest, with 522 deaths and 731 missing, totalling 1,253 lives lost so far this year.
According to the latest IOM report, Libya hosted 761,322 migrants between June and July 2024, distributed across 100 municipalities. Key destinations include Tripoli (15%), Misrata (11%), Benghazi (10%), and Zawiya (6%). The migrant population increased by 5% due to the arrival of Sudanese refugees fleeing conflict. Most migrants come from Niger, Sudan, Egypt, and Chad, with many struggling to access essential services, especially in Kufra.
On 15 October, Libyan Interior Minister Emad Trabelsi met with Nicoletta Giordano, the IOM’s mission chief, to discuss expanding voluntary repatriation programs and enhancing support for border security. Trabelsi reiterated Libya’s opposition to becoming a transit or temporary hub for irregular migrants during the G7 Interior Ministers’ meeting earlier in October.
