Libyan Coast Guard units saved 199 illegal migrants during the past three days while crossing the Mediterranean from Libya to European countries.
The rescued migrants come from different African nations, including Egypt, Sudan, Somalia, Senegal, Eritrea, Ethiopia and South Sudan. Some are from Asian countries; eight are from Indonesia.
Upon rescuing them, the coast guards transported the migrants to the Anti-Illegal Immigration Authority in Tripoli, Zawya and al-Khoms.
The western coast of Libya is the main departure point of hundreds of thousands of migrants fleeing their countries from wars and poverty to reach Europe.
Libya became a major conduit for African migrants and refugees fleeing to Europe after the 2011 uprising and amid the subsequent chaos and turmoil that engulfed the oil-rich North African country.
On Thursday, the U.S. Department of State accused the Government of National Accord (GNA) of cooperating with human traffickers to exploit migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean from Libya, according to the 2019 Trafficking in Persons Report.
The report explained that the GNA Libyan Coast Guards have coordinated with armed groups and other criminals to smuggle and exploit migrants while crossing the Mediterranean Sea for profit.
“A fear of GNA Libyan Coast Guard units, who return migrants rescued at sea to detention centers in Libya where they may be subjected to forced labor, led some migrants to refuse the help of these units at sea,” the report said.
