The Libyan Anti-Illegal Migration Agency in Tobruk has deported 121 illegal migrants from Egypt, Syria, Sudan, Pakistan, and Chad. This operation follows the permanent directives of Major General Nouri Al-Saadi, the head of the agency, aimed at combatting and eliminating illegal migration.
The deportation process was supervised by Major General Ibrahim Mohammed Larbid, head of the Tobruk branch.
Among the deportees, 18 were reported to have hepatitis, while two were diagnosed with HIV.
The migrants were transferred from the Bab Al-Zaytoun detention and deportation centre to Egypt via the Imsaad land crossing for Egyptian nationals.
Migrants of other nationalities were taken to the Ganfouda detention and deportation centre to complete their procedures before being deported via Benina Airport.
The statement concluded that the deportation process is ongoing and continues daily as part of the branch’s efforts to tackle illegal migration.
Last week, authorities in Benghazi thwarted an attempt by migrants to cross into Europe from a beach in the Sidi Khalifa area.
According to a statement by the Benghazi Security Directorate on Thursday, patrols from the Sidi Khalifa Police Station, tasked with monitoring the coastline, spotted a group of migrants trying to set sail on a boat.
The patrols stopped the migrants, who were identified as Bangladeshi nationals, and found them in possession of fuel canisters.
The migrants were taken to the police station and subsequently transferred to the relevant authorities for further processing ahead of their deportation to Bangladesh.
On Saturday, Libya’s coast guard intercepted 64 Europe-bound migrants and brought them back to shore, just days after a deadly shipwreck off the country’s coast left nearly two dozen people dead or missing.
The migrants were stopped near the northwestern town of Sirte, according to the local coast guard unit, which posted images of the group on social media. The intercepted migrants included at least one woman and a child. In a standard practice to prevent traffickers from reusing vessels, the Coast Guard burned the migrant boat after the operation.
This rescue follows a tragic incident earlier in the week. On Wednesday, a boat carrying 32 migrants from Egypt and Syria capsized off the coast of Tobruk, eastern Libya. The Libyan coast guard was able to save nine people and recover one body, while 22 others remain missing and are presumed dead. These back-to-back incidents highlight the ongoing dangers faced by migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe.
Since the fall of Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, Libya has descended into chaos, with multiple factions battling for control over the country’s wealth and resources. This instability has made Libya the primary transit hub for migrants from Africa and the Middle East trying to escape war and poverty in search of better lives in Europe.
