Photo caption: Deported Nigerians
Libya on Tuesday deported 177 Nigerian migrants, mostly women, as part of a voluntary repatriation program, the country’s Illegal Migration Control Department said.
“Today, from the Deportation Office of the Illegal Migration Control Department, we voluntarily deported 177 female and some child migrants of Nigerian nationality via a flight from Tripoli Mitiga International Airport,” deportation officer Mohamed Bred’a said, Xinhua reported
The group included nine children and eight infants, Bred’a said, adding that further repatriation flights were planned this week and that deportations would continue.
“The deportation is humanitarian and voluntary, as part of the department’s plan,” he said.
Libya has been a major transit point for migrants seeking to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, particularly since the country descended into chaos following the 2011 overthrow of leader Muammar Gaddafi.
On Monday, Libyan Interior Minister Emad al-Tarabelsi urged the European Union and countries affected by migration flows from Libya to provide more support in curbing illegal migration.
He said securing Libya’s southern borders was key to addressing the issue, rather than focusing solely on coastal monitoring, as emphasized by the EU.
Al-Tarabelsi also called for development projects in migrants’ countries of origin to address the root causes of migration.
