175 return safely from Libya

A total of 175 Bangladeshi nationals have returned home from different detention camps in Libya as they were irregular migrants.

With the assistance of the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, the Libyan government, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the citizens return home.

The group included 113 individuals detained at the Tajura Detention Centre in Tripoli and 62 held at the Ganfouda Detention Centre in Benghazi. They returned to Dhaka on Wednesday at 6:25 am on a Burak Air flight.

Most of the returnees had entered Libya illegally under the influence of human traffickers with the intention of reaching Europe by sea.

Many reported having been subjected to abduction and abuse during their stay in Libya.

Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, relevant ministries, and IOM welcomed the returnees at the airport and encouraged them to share their experiences to raise public awareness about the risks of irregular migration.

The IOM provided each returnee with travel allowances, essential food supplies, primary healthcare, and temporary accommodation if needed.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, and the IOM continue to work together to ensure the safe repatriation of Bangladeshi nationals from detention centres in Libya.