Libya

Spike in the number of migrant boats leaving Libya

cde.news desk 23 November 2019, 00:48 · 1 min read

epaselect epa06076452 Migrants ride a boat after they were rescued by Libyan coastguard in the Mediterranean off the Libyan coast, in Guarabouli, east Tripoli, Libya, 08 July 2017. According to local reports, Libyan coastguards with the help of fishermen have rescued 85 immigrants, including 20 women, who were attempting to reach Europe. A rescued migrant have reported some 20 others went missing in the sea during their failed attempt. EPA/STRINGER EPA/STRINGER

There’s been a spike in the number of migrant boats leaving Libya’s coastline this week, the UN migration agency, IOM, said on Friday.

More than 600 people were discovered in the waters off Libya between Tuesday and Thursday. The development comes amid some of the heaviest shelling so far in the capital Tripoli, where the Libyan coastguard is reported to have returned nearly 300 migrants to shore, including 14 children and 33 women.

The UN Migration agency said it is unable to verify reports that another vessel sank on Wednesday evening with significant loss of life.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 8,600 migrants have been returned to detention centres in Libya where the UN has frequently condemned serious rights violations.

Filed under Libya Migration Organization for Migration (IOM)

Topics IOM Libya Migration

Spike in the number of migrant boats leaving Libya

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