Migrants are seen at a detention centre in Tripoli, Libya April 4, 2019 ReutersLibya booked more than 5,000 migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in a crackdown over the past week, housing them in crowded, unsanitary detention centresAt least five migrants were shot dead at a Tripoli detention centre on Friday, the head of the UN migration agency's Libya mission said, as many migrants were reported to have escaped the centre and others gathered in the streets nearby. Libyan security forces have detained more than 5,000 migrants, refugees and asylum seekers mostly from Sub-Saharan Africa in a crackdown over the past week, housing them in crowded, unsanitary detention centres, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR has said. IOM Libya mission head Federico Soda said the overcrowding at Ghot Shaal detention centre had led to chaos there, with people sleeping in the open and different security forces present. Two Tripoli residents said they had seen large numbers of migrants running through the streets in that area. "The raids, which also involved the demolition of many unfinished buildings and makeshift houses, have created widespread panic and fear among asylum seekers and refugees in the capital," it said in a statement.

Source: Dhaka Tribune October 08, 2021 18:00 UTC