A total of 170 Bangladeshi nationals stranded in Libya were repatriated on Tuesday morning with support from the Libyan government and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in coordination with the Bangladesh Embassy in Tripoli and the relevant ministries in Dhaka.
According to BSS Newspaper, the returnees landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 6:10am on a chartered flight operated by Buraq Air, according to a statement released by the Bangladeshi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Officials said most of the returnees had entered Libya through irregular migration routes, hoping to use the country as a transit point to reach Europe by sea. Many reported having fallen victim to human traffickers who lured them with false promises of employment and safe passage.
Several of the repatriated migrants alleged that they had been abducted, detained or physically abused at various stages during their stay in Libya. Their testimonies, authorities noted, reflect the ongoing risks faced by migrants attempting to travel irregularly through North Africa.
Representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, and IOM received the returnees upon arrival. Each individual was provided with travel allowances, food packages and basic medical assistance under IOM’s voluntary humanitarian return programme.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs encouraged the migrants to share their experiences publicly to help raise awareness about the dangers of irregular migration and the exploitation associated with it. Officials stressed that the government will continue to work closely with the Bangladesh Embassy in Tripoli, IOM and other entities to facilitate the return of nationals who remain in detention centres across Libya.
According to the ministry, repatriation efforts remain ongoing as Bangladeshi authorities push for the safe release and evacuation of their citizens still held by Libyan security agencies or in migrant facilities.
