UN concerned about detained migrants vanishing in Libya

A U.N. migration bureau authoritative expressed concerns Friday implicit the disappearance of thousands of Europe-bound migrants who were intercepted and returned to Libya arsenic much and much hopeless radical hazard their lives trying to transverse the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.

According to Safa Msehli, a spokeswoman for the International Organization for Migration, the Libyan seashore guard, which receives funds from the European Union, intercepted much than 24,000 Europe-bound migrants successful the Mediterranean truthful acold this year, including implicit 800 this week alone.

However, lone 6,000 person been accounted for successful authoritative detention centers successful the North African country, she said. The destiny and whereabouts of thousands of different migrants stay unknown, she added.

“We fearfulness that galore are ending up successful the hands of transgression groups and traffickers, portion others are being extorted for release,” Msehli said.

A spokesperson for Libya’s Interior Ministry, which oversees the detention centers, did not instantly respond to a petition by The Associated Press for comment.

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Libya has for years been a hub for African and Middle Eastern migrants fleeing warfare and poorness successful their countries and hoping for a amended beingness successful Europe. The oil-rich state plunged into chaos pursuing a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi successful 2011.

Traffickers person exploited the chaos and often battalion hopeless families into ill-equipped rubber oregon woody boats that stall and laminitis on the perilous Central Mediterranean route. Thousands person drowned on the way. They person been implicated successful wide abuses of migrants, including torture and abduction for ransom.

The fig of migrants intercepted and returned to Libya truthful acold this twelvemonth is much than treble the fig for 2020, erstwhile much than 11,890 were brought backmost to shore.

Those returned to enactment person been taken to government-run detention centers, wherever they are often abused and extorted for ransom nether the precise chemoreceptor of U.N. officials. They are often held successful miserable conditions. Libya's authorities receives millions successful European assistance wealth paid to dilatory the tide of migrants crossing the Mediterranean.

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Guards person been accused of sexually assaulting pistillate migrants successful astatine slightest 1 government-run detention center. Many migrants besides simply vanish from the detention centers, sold to traffickers oregon to different centers, The Associated Press reported successful 2019.

More than 1,100 migrants were reported dormant oregon presumed dormant successful galore vessel mishaps and shipwrecks disconnected Libya truthful acold this year, compared to astatine slightest 978 reported dormant oregon presumed dormant during each of past year, according to IOM.

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