JAKARTA – Libya faces major challenges as an illegal immigrant transit area towards Europe. Torture cases to kidnapping by militias often color the smuggling of immigrants based in the North African country.
Head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Amy Pope told AFP that most of the immigrants who died in the Mediterranean came from Libya’s departure.
The African exit itself is so risky that those trying to get to Europe via the Mediterranean must risk their lives.
“We often hear reports from migrants about kidnappings, detentions for ransom, torture, and assaults” in Libya, Pope said in an interview in Rabat.
Pope said immigrants transiting through Libya came from various countries in Africa, including from Asia.
“I myself have heard a lot of stories about migrants being held by non-governmental actors and attached to ransom or torture,” he added.
With the increasing efforts of the European Union (EU) to curb efforts to arrive immigrants through strict immigration policies, many African immigrants are displaced in Libya.
Libya authorities said only in July 2025, there were up to 4 million illegal immigrants in the country.
Smugglers and human trafficking have capitalized on instabilities in Libya after years of the country’s unrest following the NATO-backed uprising toppled old leader Muammar Qaddafi in 2011.
“This is a very dangerous and precarious place for many migrants to come through the hands of smugglers,” Pope said.
Many immigrants who had tried to enter Europe have been stranded in Libya for years. Their situation has worsened since the outbreak of an armed conflict in Sudan in 2023.
The conflict in Sudan has indeed sparked millions of its citizens flocking to flee, including to Europe through Libya.
According to UNHCR data, more than 357,000 Sudanese refugees arrived in Libya from April 2023 to August 2023.
“What we’re more worried about is actually things like war in Sudan, which continues to lead to very significant numbers of refugees,” Pope said.
On the one hand, the management of immigrants is affected by the US Government’s policy of cutting massive funding for the United Nations. The US is known to be the largest donor of the United Nations.
“Frankly, there has been a very significant decline in resources to provide levels of support and care,” Pope said.
As is known, Trump in January 2025, has instructed a review of funding for the United Nations and other multilateral agencies, which resulted in the termination of US relations with UN cultural body UNESCO, World Health Organization (WHO).
US funding for other international institutions engaged in the social sector is also reviewed.
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