Reported by
Libyan authorities are expanding their search for more mass graves of migrants, after the remains of three people were discovered buried in the desert earlier this week, the Al-Jufra Security Directorate said Thursday. It is the third grave found in recent months.
The bodies, reduced to skeletons, were found scattered in the sand near the Taqrift area outside the northeastern oasis of Zillah, according to Libya's General Authority for Searching and Identifying Missing Persons. The site lies about 750 kilometers from the capital, Tripoli.
The search began after the Al-Jufra Security Directorate flagged the area over reports of possible graves. The remains haven’t been identified yet, but the Identification Authority said it’s collecting DNA samples to help confirm their identities and will send findings to prosecutors once testing is complete.
Libya has seen a string of mass grave discoveries in recent months. In February, authorities discovered two more—one in Al Kufra and another in Jikharra, some 440 kilometers south of Benghazi. A total of 93 bodies were recovered, and some showed signs of gunshot wounds, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
“The alarming and tragic discovery of mass graves following raids on human trafficking sites underscores the grave danger faced by migrants in Libya,” Rosemary DiCarlo, the U.N.'s head of political and peacebuilding affairs said at the time.
Since then, Libyan officials have ramped their efforts to curb migrant trafficking operations that have long plagued the country as a transit hub for migration. In late March, four suspected traffickers were arrested in connection with a ring accused of detaining and torturing 164 migrants in Zillah, leading to the deaths of at least 10 people.
Authorities have also demolished a number of makeshift shelters used by migrants in the area. A statement from the Security Operations Department on Wednesday said the action was part of a broader effort to dismantle smuggling infrastructure. Footage showed bulldozers tearing down dozens of shacks.
The same day, Libya’s Criminal Investigation Department said 160 migrants were detained in a raid on a suspected smuggling site in Musaid, near the main border crossing with Egypt. Officials said several smugglers were also arrested, but did not specify how many.
The country’s migrant crisis also played out at sea earlier this week when a boat carrying migrants capsized off Libya’s eastern Harawa coast, killing 11 people. Pakistan’s foreign ministry confirmed that four of the victims were Pakistani nationals.
