UNSMIL Concerned About Mass Detention of Migrants in Libya

On Monday, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) expressed concern over the arbitrary and mass detention of asylum seekers, following a series of raids carried out throughout the country in recent weeks under the pretext of combating organized crime.

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After their arrest in public spaces, homes, or camps and locations of alleged traffickers, "many of these migrants, including pregnant women and children, are held in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions.

Thousands of additional people, including migrants who have entered Libya legally, have been collectively expelled without control or due process," UNSMIL stated, adding that this campaign has been accompanied by a "disturbing" increase in racist and hateful rhetoric against foreigners, both on social media and in the mainstream media.

Therefore, the UN mission urged the authorities to treat migrants "with dignity and humanity" in accordance with international law, as well as allowing international agencies and NGOs unhindered access to detainees in need of urgent protection.

Since late May, the Tripoli-basde Government of National Unity (GUN) has launched airstrikes in eastern and western regions of the country as part of a military strategy to "cleanse" the territory of hideouts used for drug trafficking and human trafficking.

Months earlier, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) revealed that at least 5,000 migrants are being held in official detention centers, "but this may only represent the tip of the iceberg," and called on the international community to seek alternatives to the detention of people in exile.

According to the latest IOM data, since the beginning of the year, over 6,600 people have been intercepted and returned to Libya despite it being considered an "unsafe" location.

At least 651 individuals have lost their lives, and 332 have gone missing while attempting to cross the Central Mediterranean route, the deadliest known route.

In April, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on Libya, which failed to consider human rights violations documented against both Libyan civilians and migrants.