160 illegal migrants voluntarily deported from Libya: IOM

 

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Friday that it has deported 160 illegal migrants from Libya to their home country Bangladesh this week.

“IOM this week facilitated the safe return of 160 Bangladeshi migrants stranded in Libya via its Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) program,” IOM said in a statement.

The migrants were stranded in Libya due to COVID-19 and the challenging security situation in the country, the statement said, adding that the IOM had worked closely with Libyan authorities and the Embassy of Bangladesh in Libya to assist the migrants in getting home.

The state of insecurity and chaos in Libya following the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 has encouraged thousands of migrants to cross the Mediterranean Sea towards European shores.