The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has announced the finding of a mass grave in Libya, which is believed to contain the remains of at least 65 migrants who lost their lives while being smuggled across the desert.
The circumstances surrounding their deaths and their nationalities remain unknown. Libya, a country in North Africa, has been plagued by conflict and turmoil, and it is estimated that around 700,000 migrants and refugees are currently residing within its borders.
Additionally, it serves as a transit route for individuals seeking asylum in Europe through the Mediterranean.
The IOM has called upon Libyan authorities to collaborate with UN partner agencies in investigating these deaths, ensuring a respectful recovery, identification, and transfer of the deceased migrants’ remains, as well as providing appropriate support and notification to their families. Tripoli has already initiated its own investigation into the mass grave, which was discovered in the southwestern part of the country.
According to Reuters, an unverified Facebook post featuring drone footage from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Tripoli’s Interior Ministry shows a desert area with numbered bodies surrounded by white markings and yellow tape.
The CID has reported that the bodies were found in the al-Jahriya valley in the town of Al Shuwairf, approximately 421km (262 miles) south of Tripoli. Earlier this month, the IOM revealed that 2023 had been the deadliest year for migrants, with a minimum of 8,565 individuals losing their lives on migrant routes worldwide.
Along the Mediterranean route alone, at least 3,129 deaths and disappearances were recorded in 2023.
The agency emphasized that unless there are established legal pathways for migration, the tragic incidents along this route will persist.
Libya, once a prosperous nation, descended into civil war following the violent overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, which was supported by NATO. Many migrants choose to pass through Libya on their way to Europe, but this exposes them to exploitation by smugglers and human traffickers who sell them into bondage. In 2017, CNN reported on a shocking live slave auction in Libya, where Africans were being sold for as little as $400.
According to the IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix, Libya currently hosts over 706,062 migrants from more than 44 countries, with 5,000 of them being held in state custody.
The IOM recently revealed that 2023 was the deadliest year for migrants, with a staggering 8,565 individuals losing their lives on migrant routes worldwide. Along the Mediterranean route alone, there have been 3,129 recorded deaths and disappearances in 2023.
