![Pakistani migrants are seen detained at Dikili's port [Valerio Muscella/NurPhoto via Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/GettyImages-519107800-scaled-e1687265307748.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&quality=85&strip=all&zoom=1&ssl=1)
Security forces in eastern Libya have freed almost 400 Pakistani migrants who were detained in smugglers' warehouses, as human traffickers continue to run their operations in and from the country, with some reporting to brutal tactics of outright kidnap.
According to the migrant rights group, Al-Abreen, at least 385 Pakistani nationals were released early yesterday from warehouses used by smugglers in the Al-Khuwair area, which is located about 5 miles south of the eastern Libyan city of Tobruk.
One of the rights group's activists, Esreiwa Salah, told the Associated Press news agency that the Pakistani migrants had arrived in Libya with the intention of traveling to Europe, but were then detained by the traffickers who demanded ransoms to secure their release.
Following the overnight raid by the eastern Libyan security forces, the migrants – including children among them – were transferred to police headquarters nearby. Although the next step has not yet been specified, it is likely they will be prepared for deportation or repatriation in coordination with Pakistan's diplomatic mission in Libya.
Foreign meddling and competing interests hinder any solution in Libya
Security authorities in eastern Libya freed at least 385 Pakistani migrants who were held in trafficking warehouses in an overnight raid, a migrant rights group said Monday @AP reported pic.twitter.com/VgPNjKPOhF
— Faisal Ali Shah (@FaisalzUpdates) August 1, 2023
Throughout the past decade of instability within the North African country, human traffickers and smugglers have seen a boost in demand for their services, with refugees and migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, Sudan, Syria and, more recently, Pakistan – amid its worsening economic crisis – attempting to make their way across the Mediterranean to reach Europe.
Those operations, which often notoriously demand thousands of dollars from each migrant, have frequently resulted in numerous boat capsizes and the deaths of migrants in the Mediterranean Sea. In June, a vessel which departed from Libya and carried an estimated 700 migrants – including around 350 Pakistanis – sank off the coast of Greece, leading to only 104 people being rescued.
Raids carried out by authorities in both eastern and western Libya usually bust smuggling operations that are in preparation to take place, but there are instances, such as this latest raid, where the human traffickers intentionally detain migrants and commit human rights abuses with demands for ransom.
There are also concerns raised by rights groups and the United Nations regarding the treatment of migrants by authorities and security forces in Libya, with irregular migrants often being arrested and detained for long periods of time when found.
UN says concerned over Libya migrant arrests
Unless otherwise stated in the article above, this work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. If the image(s) bear our credit, this license also applies to them. What does that mean? For other permissions, please contact us.
Spotted an error on this page? Let us know
