According to the attorney general’s office, the raid was executed late Saturday, targeting a gang that had been depriving migrants of their freedom and subjecting them to cruel treatment. The bodies of the deceased migrants were found buried near the detention site, and three individuals, including one Libyan and two foreigners, have been arrested in connection with the atrocities.
The disturbing images of emaciated migrants with scars on their faces, limbs, and backs have been shared on social media, highlighting the dire situation faced by migrants in Libya. The country has struggled to recover from the chaos that followed the 2011 NATO-backed uprising, which toppled longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi. The ongoing instability has created a power vacuum, allowing smugglers and human traffickers to exploit vulnerable migrants.
Libya’s strategic location, just 300 kilometers from Italy, makes it a critical departure point for migrants seeking better lives in Europe. However, this journey is fraught with peril, as migrants risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea. The treatment of migrants and refugees in Libya has long been a subject of criticism, with rights groups accusing authorities of extortion, slavery, and other forms of abuse.
In a similar incident last month, two individuals were arrested for torturing and detaining 263 irregular migrants in El Wahat, eastern Libya. The prosecution alleged that the migrants were held captive to extort ransoms from their families, with demands ranging from $10,000 to $17,000. Furthermore, in March last year, a mass grave containing at least 65 migrants’ bodies was discovered in southwest Libya, highlighting the alarming scale of migrant deaths in the country.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has condemned the inadequate action taken to address the migrant crisis, stating that “the cost of inadequate action is evident in the increasing human deaths and the disturbing conditions migrants find themselves in”.