Libyan authorities have uncovered a mass grave in Kufra, where the bodies of migrants who were reportedly tortured and subjected to inhumane treatment were buried. According to an official statement, a gang was responsible for detaining and abusing the migrants, many of whom were seeking passage to Europe.
Images shared online show police and volunteers digging in the sand and recovering bodies, though the BBC has not independently verified them. Authorities have sent the recovered bodies for autopsy and are investigating possible links to smuggling networks while documenting testimonies from survivors.
The search operation in Kufra, located over 1,700 kilometers (1,056 miles) from Libya’s capital Tripoli, is ongoing.
This discovery follows a similar incident last year when a mass grave containing at least 65 migrant bodies was found in Libya’s southwest. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) described that incident as “deeply shocking.”
Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has become a major transit point for migrants attempting dangerous desert and Mediterranean crossings to reach Europe. In 2024 alone, UNICEF reported that over 2,200 migrants had died or gone missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean.