Over 380 Pakistani migrants rescued in Libyan trafficking warehouse operation
A migrant rights group reported that security authorities in eastern Libya conducted an overnight raid, resulting in the liberation of at least 385 Pakistani migrants who were being held captive in trafficking warehouses.
The group, Al-Abreen, which provides assistance to migrants in Libya, stated that the Pakistanis were released in the early hours of Monday from smugglers’ warehouses located in the Al-Khueir area, situated about 5 miles (8 kilometers) south of Tobruk, a city in eastern Libya. The rescued migrants, including children, were subsequently taken to a nearby police headquarters.
According to Esreiwa Salah, an activist associated with Al-Abreen, the Pakistani migrants had originally intended to journey to Europe but were detained by smugglers who demanded a ransom for their release. However, no further details about the situation were disclosed.
Photographs shared on Al-Abreen’s official Facebook page displayed numerous Pakistani migrants, presumably those who had been freed, gathered outside one of the warehouses.
Libya has become a prominent transit point for migrants from Africa and the Middle East attempting to reach Europe. The country’s state of instability resulted from a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 that led to the toppling and death of Muammar Qaddafi, the longtime autocrat. Since then, Libya has been under the rule of rival governments in the eastern and western regions, each backed by various militias and foreign entities.
During the past decade of turmoil, human traffickers have exploited the chaotic conditions, facilitating the illegal movement of migrants across borders, including those from Egypt, Algeria, and Sudan. These traffickers cram desperate migrants seeking a better life in Europe onto ill-equipped rubber boats and other vessels, subjecting them to perilous voyages on the Central Mediterranean Sea route.
In June, a tragic incident occurred when a vessel carrying an estimated 700 migrants, including about 350 Pakistanis, sank off the Greek coast. Only 104 people were rescued, among them 12 Pakistanis.
