Huge kidnapping trade in Libya
Reza Mahmud :
Bangladeshi migrant workers—both legal and undocumented—are facing extreme disaster in war-torn Libya. Kidnapping of Bangladeshis has reached an all-time record.
Mafia groups in the country have been abducting Bangladeshis from various locations in phases and extorting hundreds of thousands of taka in ransom. Legally employed Bangladeshis are living in constant fear. Many cannot even go to mosques or local markets due to security concerns and the risk of abduction, according to multiple reliable sources.
Despite Libya’s unstable situation, the Bangladesh Embassy’s reckless decision to attest demand letters for worker recruitment has led many legal migrants to fall victim to mafia abductions and lose everything.
Tortured in captivity, some have paid huge sums in ransom to secure their release, only to return home empty-handed. Recruiting agencies with government clearance have themselves spent lakhs of taka to rescue kidnapped workers and bring them home.
Leaders of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) expressed anxiety over the issue.
When contacted, former BAIRA Secretary General Bir Muktijuddha Ali Haider Chowdhury on Monday told The New Nation, “It is very worried matter of kidnapping incidents of even regular migrant workers in Libya.”
He urged the government to stop sending workers to Libya until law and order situation return.
The owners of Arabian Overseas have submitted a written application on December 4 to Dr. Asif Nazrul, Adviser to the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, seeking financial assistance and rehabilitation for the abducted returnees from the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board.
According to the application, between March 6 and December 9, 2024, 27 legal Bangladeshi workers—including company supervisors—were abducted by mafia groups in Libya. Abu Saeed, proprietor of Arabian Overseas, stated that they spent Tk 66 lakh in ransom to rescue the 27 workers. Due to the dangerous situation, flights for another 110 workers—whose visas had already been issued—had to be suspended, resulting in a financial loss of Tk 35,80,733. He urged the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board to compensate Arabian Overseas for these losses.
Even amid the country’s unstable environment and security threats, the then Labour Minister (Labour Wing) at the Bangladesh Embassy in Tripoli, Gazi Md. Asaduzzaman Kabir, recklessly attested demand letters in three phases for hiring 370 workers. As a result, 27 legal Bangladeshi workers were abducted by mafia gangs.
One of the abducted workers, Jahangir Alam from Sylhet, told Journalists in tears on Monday that due to the severe negligence and misguided decisions of embassy officials, they were kidnapped in Libya despite having government clearance. He said incompetent embassy officials cannot evade responsibility for the kidnapping of Bangladeshi workers. He urged the government to take legal action against the responsible officials and to ensure compensation for the victims from the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board. He also prayed for the long life of the owner of Arabian Overseas, who helped rescue and repatriate them.
On Sunday, while speaking with journalists, Rasel Mia, First Secretary (Labour) at the Bangladesh Embassy in Tripoli, admitted that Bangladeshi workers were being abducted by mafia groups in Libya. He said 150 Bangladeshis were currently imprisoned in one detention center, and two days earlier, 310 Bangladeshis had been repatriated from Libya. Asked whether the embassy bears responsibility for attesting demand letters that led to workers being abducted, he failed to provide any satisfactory response.
Human trafficking rackets are luring innocent workers with false promises of entry into Europe for Tk 15 to 18 lakh per person. Traffickers extort vast sums by promising to send migrants to Italy by sea. Through brokers and in collusion with corrupt immigration officials at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, these workers are sent to Libya via Dubai on visit visas.
They are then held captive in different Libyan regions, beaten, and forced to pay ransom repeatedly. Later, traffickers push them into the Mediterranean Sea on boats, claiming they will reach Italy. Most of these boats sink, causing large numbers of Bangladeshi migrants to die—images widely reported by local and international journalists.
To address the situation, Libya’s Interior Ministry has announced the repatriation of undocumented Bangladeshi migrants. With assistance from the IOM and the Bangladesh Embassy, hundreds of trafficked and kidnapped migrants are being sent back home almost daily.
At Dhaka airport, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and IOM receive the returnees and advise them not to travel abroad illegally.
Meanwhile, hundreds of legally recruited Bangladeshi workers are repeatedly falling victim to mafia kidnappers due to the reckless decisions of the Tripoli Embassy officials loyal to the “fascist Hasina regime.” Legal recruiting agencies are being forced to pay lakhs of taka in ransom to rescue abducted workers, leaving them financially devastated.
Libya continues to suffer from clashes among militia groups and tribal factions. Even foreign mission officials are at security risk. Despite knowing this, embassy officials have remained in place and continued attesting demand letters, pushing Bangladeshi workers into extreme danger.
Separately, Libya’s Interior Ministry has announced measures to repatriate undocumented migrants as part of a national plan to combat illegal immigration and reduce Europe-bound migration flows via Libya. According to The Libya Observer, after completing legal procedures, Bangladeshi migrants were deported from Tripoli’s Mitiga International Airport under the direct instructions of Acting Interior Minister Emad al-Tarabulsi. The ministry stated that deportations are taking place daily to ensure national security and stability.
On December 5, a chartered flight repatriated 310 Bangladeshis, according to a press release from Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Most had entered Libya illegally via traffickers promising passage to Europe. Many had been kidnapped or tortured.
The coordinated efforts of the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare, the Libyan government, and the International Organization for Migration enabled their return.
Another press release said that ministry and IOM officials received the returnees at Dhaka airport. To raise public awareness, the returnees were requested to share their experiences widely. IOM also provided each migrant with travel allowance, food supplies, and basic medical assistance.
The Foreign Ministry stated that coordinated efforts continue to safely repatriate Bangladeshis detained in various Libyan detention centers. Earlier, on October 25, a special chartered flight brought back 309 Bangladeshis who had been defrauded by traffickers. Many attempted to cross the Mediterranean and were intercepted, while others were kidnapped and tortured in Libya.
On October 24, IOM Director General Amy Pope warned that migrants in Libya face “the most horrific conditions,” including kidnapping and torture by traffickers and militias. She cautioned that most migrants who die in the Mediterranean begin their journey from Libya and that the sea route is extremely dangerous.