Thousands of Migrants have been Returned to Libya in the Last Two Weeks

About 1,000 migrants have been returned to Libya in the past two weeks, according to a statement issued by The UN Migration Agency (IOM), quoted by the DPA.

"At least 953 migrants, among them 136 women and 85 children, have been returned to Libyan shores in the first two weeks of 2020. Most were disembarked in Tripoli and all were taken to detention centres. NGO search and rescue vessels reported having rescued 237 others. These returned migrants are among the more than 1,000 who have left Libya by sea since 1 January, driven in part by the heaviest clashes Tripoli has seen since hostilities began nine months ago.", the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.

IOM noted that no migrants were returned to Libya during the same period last year. "he current sudden increase in departures is especially alarming given the very limited search and rescue capacity in the Mediterranean," the organization added.

In recent years, Libya has become a major transit country for migrants, mainly Africans trying to reach Europe by boat. Thousands of them either drowned or were rescued in the high seas.

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