The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Monday it was “deeply alarmed” by the discovery of dozens of bodies in two mass graves in the Libyan desert, presumed to belong to migrants. Some of the bodies showed signs of gunshot wounds.
The first mass grave was discovered at the beginning of the month and it contained 19 bodies buried at a farm believed to have been used by a human trafficking network in the northeastern city of Jikharra, 440 km south of Libya’s second-largest city, Benghazi.
At least 30 more bodies were found on Sunday in a mass grave in the Alkufra desert in the southeast. Authorities believe there could be 70 bodies more somewhere nearby.
“The loss of these lives is yet another tragic reminder of the dangers faced by migrants embarking on perilous journeys,” said Nicoletta Giordano, IOM Libya Chief of Mission. “Far too many migrants along these routes endure severe exploitation, violence, and abuse, underscoring the need to prioritize human rights and protect those at risk.”
The second grave was found near a makeshift detention center, from which authorities freed 76 migrants, according to a statement from the Attorney General’s Office. The survivors were physically injured and malnourished.
Police raided the site after receiving a tip about a criminal organization that had been “detaining, torturing,” and subjecting migrants to “inhuman and degrading treatment.” One Libyan and two foreign nationals—whose nationalities were not disclosed—were arrested in connection with the trafficking ring.
Those survivors told officers about another mass grave nearby, potentially containing nearly 70 bodies, according to Mohamed al-Fadeil, head of Libya’s Anti-Illegal Immigration Agency in the Southeast.
Authorities are currently working to recover the remaining bodies, which, according to confessions from arrested traffickers, belong to Somali and Ethiopian migrants, Al-Fadeil said.
The recovered bodies have been sent for autopsy, the statement added.
This is not the first time mass graves containing migrants have been found in Libya. Nearly a year ago, a mass grave holding 65 migrants was uncovered. While no one was charged in connection with their deaths, the IOM stated that the victims were “believed to have died in the process of being smuggled through the desert.”
Meanwhile, Libya’s Attorney General ordered the detention of four coast guard crew members on charges of organizing migrant smuggling operations. The suspects were arrested during a failed attempt to illegally transport 37 migrants by sea to the northern Mediterranean.
In a separate incident, the Libyan Red Crescent recovered the bodies of 10 migrants last Thursday after their boat sank about 40 km off the capital, Tripoli.
The recent crackdown on migrant smuggling in Libya follows a report accusing Libyan state and non-state actors of purchasing migrants from Tunisia and later demanding ransoms for their release. The report detailed the systematic abuses suffered by migrants throughout the process, from their arbitrary capture in Tunisia and alleged mistreatment by Tunisian forces to their detention in Libyan prisons.
