TRIPOLI, Libya – Libya has deported a group of migrants to Niger across their shared land border, the Libyan Illegal Migration Control Department announced on Wednesday. This marks the first such deportation in several years, according to the department.
The deportation was carried out after the migrants had completed the necessary legal procedures, the department stated in a message posted on its Facebook page. The migrants were deported “for violating applicable Libyan laws,” the statement said. The charge d’affaires from Niger to Libya was present to oversee the operation, the department added.
The Libyan Illegal Migration Control Department said that the deportations of migrants from Libya to their countries of origin would continue.
Libya has become a major transit point for migrants, mostly from Africa, seeking to reach Europe by sea since the 2011 overthrow of its leader, Muammar Gaddafi. The subsequent instability in the country has made it a common route for people attempting to cross the Mediterranean.
According to the International Organization for Migration, there are an estimated 787,326 migrants currently in Libya. A significant proportion of these migrants – 41% – report that they experienced various shocks such as environmental, political, or economic hardship before migrating to Libya.
