Monday December 15, 2025
Somali migrants sit inside a detention facility in Tripoli, Libya, ahead of deportation proceedings, according to Libyan authorities. Libya has stepped up enforcement against irregular migration, detaining and deporting foreign nationals found to be in the country illegally.
Mogadishu (HOL) — Libyan authorities have deported a group of Somali migrants who were living in the country illegally, citing violations of national immigration laws, the Anti-Illegal Migration Agency said Monday.
In a statement, the agency said the migrants had been held at a detention center in eastern Tripoli and were deported following court orders and verification of their travel documents. Officials said the removals were carried out in line with Libyan regulations governing illegal residency.
Libya remains a major transit country for migrants from the Horn of Africa and other regions seeking to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. Many migrants become stranded in the country, where they face detention, exploitation and harsh living conditions, according to international aid groups.
The deportations come about a week after the Somali government repatriated 161 Somali nationals who had been stranded in Libya. Many of those returnees had endured difficult conditions linked to human smuggling networks and unsafe migration routes.
Somalia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, said 74 of the returnees arrived in Hargeisa, while 87 were received in the capital, Mogadishu.
The Somali government said the repatriations were carried out through the Voluntary Humanitarian Return program supported by the United Nations. Officials said most of those returned were under the age of 30 and had been stranded in Libya for several months.
Libyan authorities say enforcement actions will continue as international organizations urge greater protection for migrants and expanded legal pathways for return.