The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has deployed emergency teams to eastern Libya following a series of harrowing discoveries by local authorities in the regions of Ajdabiya and Kufra.
According to a statement from the UN agency, security operations led to the closure of illegal detention centers and the release of hundreds of migrants held in inhumane conditions. In Ajdabiya, the discovery of a mass grave containing 21 bodies alongside the liberation of 195 migrants has exposed a brutal system of kidnapping and torture used to extort ransoms from families.
A separate operation in Kufra revealed an underground prison located three meters below the surface, where 221 migrants and refugees were being held in degrading circumstances. Among those rescued were women, children, and a one-month-old infant, with at least ten individuals requiring immediate hospitalization due to the severity of their condition. Nicoletta Giordano, the IOM Chief of Mission in Libya, described these cases as shocking and emphasized the grave risks migrants face when falling into the hands of criminal networks. She called for a global effort to strengthen protection mechanisms and bring those responsible for human trafficking to justice.
On the ground, IOM teams are providing life-saving humanitarian aid in Kufra, including medical examinations and the distribution of warm clothing to survivors. While the organization commended the Libyan authorities for their efforts to dismantle these clandestine prisons and identify victims, it reiterated the urgent need for institutional reforms to prevent further loss of life. The IOM has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Libya in dismantling smuggling networks and ensuring that the rights and dignity of migrants are protected according to international standards.
MN/AK/Sf/fss/APA