By AFP - Jan 30,2024 - Last updated at Jan 30,2024Illegal migrants from Nigeria leave an office of the Anti-illegal Immigration Agency before heading to the airport during a deportation operation in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Tuesday (AFP photo)TRIPOLI — Libyan authorities on Tuesday began sending more than 320 irregular migrants to their home country Nigeria, an immigration official told AFP. War-torn Libya has become as a key departure point on North Africa’s Mediterranean coast for migrants, mainly from other parts of Africa, risking dangerous sea voyages in hopes of reaching Europe. An AFP correspondent saw the first group at Tripoli’s Mitiga airport early Tuesday, where they were given a laissez-passer before boarding shuttles to the plane. According to the IOM, there are more than 700,000 migrants in Libya. In 2015, the UN-affiliated organisation established a “voluntary humanitarian return” scheme, arranging and financing travel for migrants and asylum seekers in Libya wishing to leave for their respective origin countries.

Source: Libya Today January 30, 2024 23:08 UTC