Security authorities in eastern Libya have dismantled a human trafficking network in the border town of Umm Saad, freeing dozens of irregular migrants who had been held in livestock pens.
The Criminal Investigation Department in Umm Saad said on Thursday that its forces raided a hideout used to detain migrants in inhumane conditions. The operation led to the rescue of 160 people who were being kept in makeshift shelters that lacked the most basic living standards.
According to investigators, the migrants were subjected to pressure and coercion aimed at humiliating them and extorting their money in exchange for release and onward smuggling across borders. Authorities confirmed that the detainees were held in conditions that violated both human dignity and security laws.
The raid followed intelligence reports indicating the presence of a group of migrants confined in a location unsuitable for human habitation. Security teams acted swiftly, storming the site and uncovering the full scale of the exploitation.
Officials revealed that 145 of those freed were Egyptian nationals, while 15 were from Sudan. Legal procedures have now been initiated to transfer the migrants to the relevant authorities for investigation and due process.
The department stressed that the operation forms part of a broader security strategy aimed at dismantling human trafficking rings and protecting vulnerable individuals from abuse. It also reaffirmed its commitment to intensifying investigative operations and combating all forms of organised crime, under the directives of Major General Ahmed Al-Shamekh, head of the Criminal Investigation Department.
The operation highlights Libya’s ongoing struggle with human trafficking networks operating along its borders, particularly in areas used as transit points for irregular migration towards Europe.
