The Libya Crimes Watch organization called on the Libyan authorities to assume their responsibilities towards rescuing migrants, along migration routes and at sea.
In a statement, the organization said: “In continuation of the loss of lives, within ten days, the Libyan Red Crescent recovered 40 migrant bodies, who drowned off the shores of Sabratha. We must cooperate and coordinate with non-governmental organizations working to rescue migrants at sea to stop these horrific accidents and the heavy loss of life. As well as to prepare effective mechanisms to search for missing persons, and identify bodies.”
Notably, the Anti-Illegal Immigration Agency in Tobruk, eastern Libya, deported 1,079 migrants, most of them from Sudan and Egypt.
Major General Ibrahim Al-Arbad, Head of the Agency, told Libya News 24 that 128 migrants tested positive for hepatitis and AIDS.
Al-Arbad added that 109 immigrants were compulsorily deported, while 842 were voluntarily deported. He also explained that those found to be ill were deported under Libyan law, and through the Public Prosecution.
Earlier, the Libyan Parliament expressed its dissatisfaction with the report of the FFM. Especially regarding the immigration and human rights situations in the country.
The Chairman of the Internal Affairs Committee, MP Suleiman Al-Hariri said the report is “biased, lacks objectivity, and deliberately distorts the image of Libya. The report also holds Libya alone responsible for illegal migration flows.”
In a statement published by the Parliament, Al-Hariri added that the report “ignored the difficult conditions that Libya is going through, and the fragility of government institutions. It is difficult for Libyan institutions to provide the needs of hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants in the country.”
The MP held the European Union politically responsible for the migration crisis in Libya. He said that the EU was “focused on rescuing migrants from the sea and returning them to Libya.
This resulted in the accumulation of hundreds of thousands of migrants in Libya, and exacerbated the situation. The EU did this despite the Libyan authorities repeatedly declaring their inability to receive these migrants, and called for transferring them to a third country.”
He also pointed out the absence of the European Union in helping to protect the Libyan borders, especially in the south, where the majority of migrants cross.