A report published by The Daily Star has drawn attention to the disappearance of 23 Bangladeshi migrants who vanished between Libya and Italy more than two years ago, raising fresh concerns about human trafficking networks and dangerous migration routes across North Africa and the Mediterranean.
According to the investigation, the missing migrants, aged between 18 and 30, disappeared after traveling from Bangladesh to Libya through smuggling networks that promised them jobs and opportunities in Europe. At least 18 of the missing individuals are from Shariatpur district, while five are from Madaripur district.
Families of the missing migrants continue to demand answers and are calling for action against the smugglers and traffickers who allegedly persuaded the young men to take the dangerous route.
One of the cases highlighted in the report involves 24-year-old Rashid Islam, whose family says he left for Italy through Libya in 2023 after brokers convinced him to attempt the journey. His mother, Rina Begum, said communication with her son gradually became less frequent before all contact was eventually lost.
Relatives say they still do not know whether the missing migrants are being held by traffickers inside Libya, detained in unofficial camps, or died while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea toward Europe.
According to family accounts, several migrants were reportedly transferred from Benghazi to Tripoli and placed in locations described by migrants as smuggling detention sites before being moved toward the coast for sea crossings in overcrowded boats.
Rashid Islam’s father stated that the final phone call from his son came in March 2024, when he reportedly warned that their phones would soon be confiscated. Since that moment, the family has received no further information about his fate.
Other families described similar experiences, saying smugglers repeatedly changed their stories, initially claiming the migrants had reached Malta or Italy before later cutting communication entirely.
