Tripoli, Sep 28 (Agency) The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Monday said that 865 illegal migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast and returned to Libya in the past week. “In the period of 19-25 September, 865 migrants were rescued/intercepted at sea and returned to Libya,” the IOM said. So far in 2021, a total of 25,285 illegal migrants, including women and children, have been rescued, while 455 died and 660 went missing off the Libyan coast on the Central Mediterranean route, according to the IOM.
Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since the fall of its leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making the North African country a preferred point of departure for illegal migrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores. Rescued migrants ended up inside overcrowded reception centers across Libya, despite repeated international calls to close those centers.