TRIPOLI, Nov 6, 2020 (BSS/XINHUA) – The United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) said Thursday that nearly 300 illegal migrants have been
rescued off Libyan coast.
Nearly 300 persons were returned to Tripoli by Libyan Coast Guard, the
UNHCR Libya tweeted.
“UNHCR and IRC (International Rescue Committee) were at the disembarkation
point and provided all survivors with medical assistance, water, food and
humanitarian items,” it said, confirming that all the rescued migrants have
been released.
Libya has become a preferred point of departure for migrants who attempt to
cross the Mediterranean Sea towards European shores due to the insecurity and
chaos that have plagued Libya since the fall and death of its former leader
Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Thousands of illegal migrants, who were either rescued at sea or arrested
by the Libyan authorities, are detained in overcrowded reception centers in
Libya, despite repeated international calls to close those centers.
The UNHCR has repeatedly stressed that Libya is not a safe point of
disembarkation for rescued migrants.