Repatriation of Bangladeshis from Libya on surge
Al Mamun Harun Ur Rashid :
The number of Bangladeshis being repatriated from Libya has risen sharply in recent months, despite a range of initiatives and awareness campaigns aimed at reducing such cases.
At least 310 Bangladeshi nationals who were stranded in Libya returned home in a chartered flight at 10am on Friday.
The Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, the Libyan government and the International Organisation for Migration coordinated the repatriation efforts.
According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs, most of the returnees had attempted to enter Libya irregularly, lured by human traffickers with the prom of reaching Europe by sea.
Many of them reported being abducted or subjected to torture at different times during their stay in Libya.
Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, relevant ministries, and IOM welcomed the returnees at the airport.
The Foreign Ministry urged them to share their harrowing experiences with others to help raise awareness about the risks of irregular migration.
IOM provided each returnee with travel allowances, food supplies, and basic medical care upon arrival.
Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry, the Embassy in Libya, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare, and IOM continue to work together to ensure the safe repatriation of Bangladeshi nationals held in Libyan detention centres.
Recently on December 1, a group of 173 Bangladeshis stranded in Libya had been brought back to Dhaka on a chartered flight operated by Buraq Air.
Sources said that being exhausted, penniless, and broken, many Bangladeshis who dream to reach Europe to change their destiny are returning home from Libya after being trapped in a nightmare of exploitation and imprisonment.
Their dreams of Europe are vanishing in the sands of Libya as these people are being victims of human trafficking and returning home from detention centres across Tripoli and Benghazi.
In October alone, 928 migrants were flown back to Dhaka in three batches – 309 on October 9, another 309 on October 23, and 310 on October 30.
Even in November, 310 Bangladeshis return home, 176 returned in September 18, 161 returned in March 20 and 145 returned in February 13 this year from Libya.
These people were returned by the Bangladesh Embassy in Tripoli, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and Libyan authorities.
Since mid-2023, over 7,100 Bangladeshis have been brought back from Libya. Yet the flow continues, showing how deep the problem runs. Between June 2023 and August 2025, around 6,000 returns were organised with IOM’s help. Since 2017, the total exceeds 10,000, according to different sources.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reports that nearly 9,735 Bangladeshis attempted to reach Italy via the Mediterranean in the first half of this year alone.
At least 718 migrants have gone missing or died on the Central Mediterranean route – 701 of them drowned. Many were Bangladeshi men in their 20s and 30s, lured by traffickers who promised a quick passage to Europe.
Most of the migrants had entered Libya through illegal channels, convinced by brokers who sold dreams of Europe-bound jobs. Instead, they found kidnappings, unpaid labour, and abuse.
For a country that depends on remittances and prides itself on its disciplined migrant workforce, the mass returns have become a diplomatic and moral embarrassment.
Bangladesh’s Ambassador to Libya, Major General Abul Hasnat Muhammad Khairul Bashar, says the embassy is doing everything possible to ensure “safe and dignified” returns.
Migration experts say the problem runs deeper than individual choices as it reflects systemic failures.
“High migration costs, few legal pathways, and unemployment drive people to risk everything,” Tasneem Siddiqui, Professor of Political Science at the University of Dhaka and the founding Executive Director of the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) told the New Nation recently.
“Until migration becomes regular and transparent, tragedies like this will continue,” she added.
“Going to Europe is like an addition for many for better lives. People want to go to Europe, but Europe does not have policy for formal employment.
As Europe needs many people in informal sectors, these people -semi or unskilled – try to reach Europe at cost,” she said.
“But the such perilous journey is not auspicious for many people as many of them die in this trip or others return home empty handed after being exploited in human trafficking,” she stressed.
Officials in Dhaka admit the challenge and said that they are warning people not to risk their lives for false promises.
About the way out of situation, Tasneem Siddiqui, “The issue is complex. We need community-level awareness and coordinated law enforcement against these traffickers.
We would urge the government to take initiatives to train unskilled people as well as equip the vocational institutions.”