Libyan authorities have recovered at least 29 bodies of migrants in two separate locations, highlighting the ongoing humanitarian crisis linked to smuggling and illegal migration.
The Alwahat District Security Directorate announced on Thursday that 19 bodies were discovered in a mass grave on a farm in the Jikharra area, approximately 441 km from Benghazi. Officials stated that the deaths were connected to human smuggling activities. Photos posted on Facebook showed security personnel and Jalu Red Crescent volunteers placing the bodies into black plastic bags.
In a separate incident, the Libyan Red Crescent reported recovering the bodies of 10 migrants whose boat sank off Dila port in Zawiya, about 40 km from Tripoli. Photos from the scene depicted volunteers marking and sealing the victims in white plastic bags.
According to the security directorate, the 19 bodies in Jikharra were found in three graves:
- One grave contained a single body.
- A second grave held four bodies.
- The third grave had 14 bodies.
The directorate confirmed that the bodies were sent for forensic examination.
Libya remains a major transit point for migrants seeking to cross the Mediterranean to Europe despite the dangers of smuggling networks. In January, the Alwahat Criminal Investigation Department rescued 263 migrants of Sub-Saharan origin from captivity, stating they had been held by a smuggling gang in inhumane conditions.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/bodies-migrants-recovered-two-locations-libya-security-red-crescent-say-2025-02-06/