Tripoli, Oct 18 (IANS) Libya’s Immigration Control Department in the eastern city of Benghazi announced deporting 16 illegal immigrants to Mali.
The department on Thursday said the immigrants had “infectious diseases” and were deported by air from Benghazi to Mali, Xinhua news agency reported.
The International Organization for Migration said on Sunday that there are more than 650,000 illegal immigrants in Libya and about 6,000 of them are being held in detention centres, including women and children.
Thousands of illegal immigrants, mostly Africans, choose to cross the Mediterranean Sea toward Europe from Libya since the country has been mired in insecurity and chaos ever since the fall of its former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Shelters in Libya are crowded with thousands of migrants rescued at sea or arrested by the Libyan security services, despite international calls for closing them.
–IANS
rt/