Libya deports 700 Sudanese migrants amid crackdown on Europe-bound transit routes
Images shared on social media showed the deportees in a remote desert area, surrounded by armed Libyan officers and military vehicles—likely near the Sudan-Libya border, given the mode of transport.
Libyan authorities have deported 700 Sudanese nationals back to their conflict-hit country as part of ongoing efforts to curb irregular migration through Libya to Europe.
Libya’s Directorate for Combating Illegal Migration confirmed the deportations on Saturday.
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According to AP News, the individuals had been detained in central and southeastern Libya before being deported by land on Friday.
Reports indicate that some of the deportees had infectious diseases such as hepatitis and AIDS, while others were expelled due to criminal records. However, the migration agency did not provide further details.
Images shared on social media and reviewed by The Eastleigh Voice showed the deportees in a remote desert area, surrounded by armed Libyan officers and military vehicles—likely near the Sudan-Libya border, given the mode of transport.
The deportations are part of a wider crackdown that includes frequent raids on known human trafficking hubs across Libya. In recent years, the country has become a key transit point for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa in hopes of reaching Europe.
Porous borders
Taking advantage of Libya’s instability, traffickers have used the nation’s porous borders with Sudan, Chad, Niger, Egypt, Algeria, and Tunisia to move people illegally.
Just last week, Libya’s eastern coast guard intercepted a boat carrying 80 Europe-bound migrants near the city of Tobruk.
Earlier this month, security forces in Ajdabiya, about 800 kilometres east of Tripoli, raided a trafficking warehouse and rescued 104 Sudanese migrants, including women and children.
On Sunday, military police raided a smuggling den in Ras Azaz, detaining 34 undocumented migrants—27 from Egypt and 7 from Bangladesh.
Since the 2011 ousting of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has remained divided between rival eastern and western administrations, both supported by militias and foreign powers.
Meanwhile, Sudan’s civil war—triggered in April 2023 by clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)—has forced thousands to flee into Libya.
The International Organisation for Migration estimates that over 240,000 Sudanese migrants are currently living in Libya.
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