Key Takeaways
- Over 1,300 migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast in the past week, with many women and children among those intercepted and returned to Libya.
- The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported that 32 migrants have died on the Central Mediterranean route so far this year.
- The Central Mediterranean route remains a major concern for migrant safety, with many attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.
Tripoli: The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on Monday said that 1,313 migrants were rescued off the coast of Libya in the past week.
“From January 19 to 25, 1,313 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya,” IOM said in a statement.
The migrants include more than 160 women and over 60 children, IOM said, adding two bodies of migrants were retrieved.
So far this year, 1,806 migrants have been intercepted and returned to Libya, while 32 others died on the Central Mediterranean route, IOM said.
The fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 led to insecurity and chaos in Libya, causing many migrants, mostly Africans, to attempt the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.
