IOM: 900 Migrants Rescued & Returned to Libya Last Week

On Monday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that a total of 900 migrants, consisting of 39 women and 14 children, were rescued and repatriated to Libya within the previous week.

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According to the IOM, the migrants were intercepted by Libyan authorities and repatriated to the country between May 28th and June 3rd.

The IOM says that the number of undocumented migrants who have been rescued and repatriated to Libya stands at 6,684 for the current year.

Furthermore, the IOM also stated that, in 2023, 651 migrants have lost their lives, and 332 remain unaccounted for along the central Mediterranean route off the coast of Libya.

In its report, the IOM also highlighted that a total of 24,684 individuals who were identified as migrants were saved and repatriated to Libya during the year 2022.

However, it noted that 525 migrants lost their lives and 848 remain missing along the central Mediterranean route.

According to the IOM, due to the prevalence of political turmoil and resultant disorder in North Africa following the collapse of the government of the late Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, a considerable number of migrants, primarily of African origin, opt to traverse the Mediterranean Sea to reach the shorelines of Europe from the vicinity of Libya.