Staff Reporter:
A total of 170 irregular Bangladeshi migrants were repatriated from Libya’s Benghazi city on Monday morning.
The repatriation took place with the support 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), said a press release.
According to officials, the returnees arrived in Dhaka at 8:35am on a Buraq Air flight.
Most of the repatriated Bangladeshis reportedly entered Libya illegally through the influence and assistance of human traffickers while attempting to travel to Europe by sea. Many of them were allegedly subjected to abduction and torture during their stay in Libya.
Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, other relevant ministries, and the IOM received the returnees at the airport. The foreign ministry urged the migrants to share their painful experiences publicly to raise awareness and discourage others from taking similar dangerous migration routes.
The IOM provided each returnee with transportation assistance, food supplies, primary medical care, and temporary accommodation support where necessary.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is continuing to work jointly with the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, and the IOM to ensure the safe repatriation of Bangladeshi nationals currently detained in various detention centers across Libya.
