Libya repatriates 270 illegal migrants

Libya on Wednesday started to deport 270 illegal migrants intercepted in the country en route to Europe, reported Xinhua.

Batches of flights would fly these migrants from Tripoli to their countries of origin, namely Somalia, Sudan, Nigeria and Bangladesh, said Interior Minister Emad al-Tarabelsi in the Libyan capital city.

Al-Tarabelsi also pledged to fight illegal migration and human smuggling in Libya, slamming that the illicit business puts migrants in peril at sea.

He added that Libya as a migrant transit point has borne the high price of "sheltering and aiding" illegal migrants after they were intercepted.

Illegal migrants, mostly Africans, have taken advantage of insecurity and chaos in Libya since 2011 to cross the Mediterranean sea from the country to European shores.

So far in 2023, a total of 10,646 illegal migrants have been rescued and sheltered in Libya, according to the International Organization for Migration.