On Thursday, the government of Libya reported the detention of a cohort of 21 unauthorized immigrants in the Garrabulli region, situated approximately 55 km to the east of the country's capital, Tripoli.
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"After searches and investigations, the patrols managed to thwart an illegal immigration operation and arrested 21 illegal immigrants inside a house used for illegal immigration work in Garrabulli," the Libyan Interior Ministry's Special Operation Department said in a statement on Facebook.
According to the declaration, the detained individuals are of Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Egyptian, and Indian origin.
On Tuesday, the Libyan Coast Guard disclosed that it had successfully rescued 61 individuals who were deemed illegal migrants, while also retrieving the remains of eleven others, including that of a minor. This operation was conducted in the waters bordering Garrabulli.
Due to the political instability and disorder in the nation after the demise of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's rule in 2011, a significant number of migrants, predominantly of African descent, opt to traverse the Mediterranean Sea towards European coastlines departing from Libya.
According to official data, the Libyan authorities have reported a total of 4,335 instances of illegal migrant interception or rescue in the current year.
Furthermore, according to the International Organization for Migration, the central Mediterranean route off the Libyan coast has resulted in 310 illegal migrant fatalities and an additional 227 individuals deemed missing.