Eastern Libyan authorities have deported hundreds of Sudanese nationals to their war-stricken homeland as part of an intensified clampdown on irregular migration and human trafficking. The mass expulsion marks a troubling chapter for many Sudanese who fled violence, only to face further hardship in Libya.
According to a statement released Saturday by Libya’s Directorate for Combating Illegal Migration, approximately 700 Sudanese migrants were expelled by land on Friday after being detained in various parts of central and southeastern Libya.
The statement cited several reasons for the deportations, including infectious diseases such as hepatitis and AIDS, criminal records, and undisclosed “security reasons.”
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This operation is the latest in an ongoing anti-smuggling campaign led by forces loyal to eastern military commander Khalifa Hifter. Authorities have stepped up raids across key trafficking corridors in eastern and southern Libya.
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Just last week, the Libyan coast guard reportedly intercepted a vessel off the coast of Tobruk carrying 80 migrants bound for Europe. Earlier this month, a dramatic raid in the town of Ajdabiya uncovered a trafficking warehouse where 104 Sudanese migrants, including women and children, were being held captive. They were freed by local security forces.
Libya, with its long Mediterranean coastline and porous borders, has become a major route for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty across Africa and the Middle East. The country’s political instability since the 2011 NATO-backed ousting of Muammar Gaddafi has fueled a thriving illicit trade in human movement, aided by a patchwork of rival governments and armed militias.
Many of the deported Sudanese had originally sought refuge in Libya following the outbreak of conflict in Sudan in April 2023. A power struggle between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces triggered widespread violence and displacement.
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According to the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration, Libya currently hosts over 240,000 Sudanese migrants, many of whom remain vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
