The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has deployed emergency teams to Eastern Libya to assist dozens of migrants recently freed from appalling detention conditions. These cases highlight the severe risks faced by migrants along migration routes, where criminal networks exploit vulnerable populations. IOM Chief of Mission in Libya, Nicoletta Giordano, emphasized that the abuses uncovered in Ajdabiya and Kufra underscore the urgent need to strengthen protection mechanisms, combat trafficking, and hold perpetrators accountable.
In Ajdabiya, Libyan authorities closed an illegal detention site, resulting in the release of 195 migrants and the recovery of 21 bodies from a nearby burial site. Investigations indicate that victims were tortured and held captive to coerce ransom payments from their families. In Kufra, authorities discovered an underground detention site three meters below ground, freeing 221 migrants and refugees, including women, children, and a one-month-old infant. Many had been held for prolonged periods under grossly inhumane conditions, with at least ten people requiring urgent medical attention.
IOM teams in Kufra are providing medical screenings, referrals to hospitals for urgent cases, and distributing warm clothes to support the newly released migrants. The organization acknowledged the Libyan authorities’ efforts in rescuing survivors, identifying victims, and coordinating investigations. Strengthening monitoring, data collection, and referral systems, along with building national capacity to dismantle criminal networks, is essential to preventing further abuses and loss of life.
IOM remains committed to delivering humanitarian assistance to migrants in need while supporting national institutions to enhance protection-focused counter-trafficking measures and rights-based border management. These efforts aim to safeguard vulnerable populations, ensure accountability, and mitigate the risks posed by criminal exploitation along migration routes.
