UN repatriates 91 migrants from Libya to Niger in a rare humanitarian flight

AFP , Wednesday 3 Nov 2021

Libyan authorities and the United Nations' migration agency on Wednesday repatriated 91 migrants to Niger, mainly women and young children, in a rare humanitarian flight.

Nigerien migrants at Misrata International Airport
Nigerien migrants await repatriation from Libya, outside the terminal at Misrata International Airport. AFP

"Today we facilitated a flight with the International Organization for Migration for the voluntary departure of 91 migrants," said Lieutenant Colonel Hussein Amin al-Terki, responsible for returns of irregular migrants through Misrata airport.

The flight, only the second since such trips were suspended two years ago, included 60 children, 25 women and six men, he told AFP.

The IOM late last month flew 127 Gambians back to their home country in the first flight since the suspension ended.

Libya plunged into a decade of violence following the fall and killing of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in a 2011 uprising, and the resulting lawlessness led to a surge in sub-Saharan African migrants using its shores for desperate bids to reach Europe.

Many are intercepted en route by the Libyan coastguard, backed by European states, and returned to Libyan detention centers.

Short link: