LIBYA: THOUSANDS OF MIGRANTS IN DETENTION CENTERS – Problem with the country’s borders

Around 7,000 to 8,000 immigrants, mostly from sub-Saharan African countries, have been transferred to about 20 detention centers in Libya, as Abdulazar al-Shinti, head of the anti-trafficking service, told the French Agency.

The new center is already detaining 130 juvenile African migrants who were left in the country by smugglers, while they were trying to reach the coasts of the country to cross the Mediterranean. According to Shinti, some of the leaders of illegal human trafficking organizations have been arrested “lately” and, according to him, will be brought to justice.

Migrants are regularly repatriated to their countries of origin in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and representatives of the embassies of their countries. IOM bears the esponsibility to provide assistance to immigrants who have been taken to detention centers.

For Shinti, irregular migration flows have increased, as the southern border of the country is “completely open” for migrants to cross. Since the Muammar Gaddafi era, Libya has been fighting to control its borders with Sudan, Chad and Niger, covering a total of 5,000 kilometers. Last year, 181,000 immigrants reached the Italian coast, with 90 per cent of them have begun their journey from Libya.