More than 100 migrants freed in Libya after being held captive by gang, officials say

 More than 100 migrants freed in Libya after being held captive by gang, officials say

Authorities in eastern Libya announced the rescue of more than one hundred migrants, including five women, from a gang involved in human trafficking, torture and ransom operations. These migrants were being held captive in Ajdabiya, a town located about one hundred miles from the major city of Benghazi. According to Libya’s attorney general, the gang was involved in smuggling and forcibly detaining migrants. The victims were subjected to torture to pressure their families into paying for their release.

Officials have arrested five suspects believed to be involved in the trafficking operation. These individuals are of Libyan, Egyptian, and Sudanese origin. Disturbing images were published by the attorney general’s office and the Ajdabiya security directorate, retrieved from the suspects’ mobile phones, showing migrants bound at their wrists and ankles and bearing marks of physical abuse.

Libya has long been a key point for migrants attempting to travel from Africa to Europe. Following the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in twenty eleven, the country has descended into lawlessness, making it fertile ground for smugglers and trafficking networks. Migrants, many fleeing war or poverty, often face brutal conditions in detention centers or fall into the hands of violent gangs.

In February this year, twenty eight bodies were found in a mass grave near Kufra city. Authorities reported that the victims had been subjected to inhumane treatment. A similar discovery of nineteen bodies occurred earlier in the Jikharra area, both believed to be linked to smuggling networks.

This incident adds to the growing concern about migrant safety in Libya, which currently hosts over eight hundred thousand migrants from forty seven countries, according to United Nations data published in May.

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The rescue of over one hundred migrants in eastern Libya has once again highlighted the ongoing crisis surrounding irregular migration and human trafficking in the region. The operation revealed the horrifying conditions in which these migrants were held chained, beaten and tortured. Libyan officials confirmed that the trafficking ring responsible for the detention and abuse of the migrants has been partly dismantled, with five suspects now under arrest.

The town of Ajdabiya, where the migrants were rescued, lies along one of the common routes used by migrants heading toward the Mediterranean coast in hopes of reaching Europe. Many of these individuals are from war-torn or impoverished countries and see Europe as a safe haven. However, the journey is fraught with dangers, particularly in Libya, where armed groups and criminal gangs often exploit migrants.

The broader issue of migration through Libya has drawn international attention. Just last week, the European Union migration commissioner met with Italy, Malta and Greece’s ministers in Tripoli to hold discussions with Abdulhamid Dbeibah, Libya’s internationally recognized prime minister. The talks focused on managing the surge in migration and increasing cooperation on border controls and migrant protections.

The release of these migrants also follows a series of gruesome discoveries of mass graves across Libya in recent months. In both the Kufra and Jikharra regions, dozens of bodies were found, many showing signs of torture and abuse, underscoring the severe risks migrants face in the region.

With over eight hundred twenty thousand migrants officially recorded within Libyan territory as of December twenty twenty four, the situation remains critical. Human rights organizations continue to call for stronger international action to protect vulnerable populations caught in transit and to dismantle trafficking networks that thrive in Libya’s unstable environment.