Libyan authorities have deported more than 150 Nigerian women and children as part of a UN-backed “voluntary return” program for irregular migrants, an immigration official confirmed on Tuesday.
According to Mohamad Baredaa of Libya’s migration agency, all those deported were Nigerian women accompanied by children. The International Organization for Migration (IOM), which is involved in the repatriation effort, reported that the group consisted of 160 women and 17 children.
The deportees, dressed mainly in black tracksuits, were gathered at a detention center in Tripoli before being transported by bus to Mitiga airport for their departure. Additional repatriation flights are scheduled later this week from both Mitiga and Benghazi airports, with groups of Bangladeshi, Gambian, and Malian migrants also set to return to their home countries.
Libya, a key transit hub for migrants attempting to reach Europe via the Mediterranean, has faced ongoing challenges with irregular migration. The country’s instability since the 2011 overthrow of former dictator Moamer Kadhafi has made it a hotspot for human traffickers.
The IOM estimates that there are more than 700,000 migrants currently in Libya, though Libyan authorities claim the actual number is significantly higher. Interior Minister Imad Trabelsi recently stated that the figure could exceed four million, though many remain undocumented.
In response to growing migration concerns, Trabelsi emphasized that Libya will not bear the burden of irregular migration alone, declaring that the country will not become a settlement zone for migrants.
