Diplomatic Correspondent :
A total of 175 irregular Bangladeshi migrants were brought back home from Benghazi, Libya, on Thursday morning through a Burak Air flight that landed in Dhaka at 6:15 am.
The repatriation was arranged by the Embassy of Bangladesh in Libya in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
According to officials, the returnees had been staying in Libya without valid documents. Most of them had entered the North African country under the influence and assistance of human traffickers, aiming to cross the Mediterranean Sea illegally to reach Europe.
Many of the migrants also endured abduction and torture at different times during their stay in Libya.
At Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, concerned government ministries, and IOM welcomed the returnees. The Foreign Ministry urged them to share their harrowing experiences publicly to help raise awareness about the dangers of irregular migration.
The IOM provided each returnee with travel allowances, food supplies, basic medical support, and temporary shelter where necessary.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of Bangladesh in Libya, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, and the IOM continue to work together to ensure the safe repatriation of Bangladeshi citizens currently held at various detention centers in Libya.
