174 Bangladeshis Return From Libya With IOM Help

Another 174 Bangladeshis return from Libya on Tuesday, landing at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 5:40am on a Buraq Airlines flight from Tripoli. They had been staying in Libya without legal documents.

The Bangladeshis return from Libya under a voluntary scheme organised by the Libyan government and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, and the Bangladesh embassy in Libya coordinated the operation.

Most of the returnees reportedly went to Libya after traffickers lured them with promises of a sea route to Europe. Many are said to have been kidnapped or tortured during their time there.

IOM gave each returnee travel expenses, some food and primary health care, and arranged temporary accommodation for those who needed it. Officials from the ministries and IOM representatives welcomed the group at the airport.

The Foreign Ministry asked the returnees to share what they went through, saying their accounts can warn others about the dangers of irregular migration. While these Bangladeshis return from Libya, others remain in detention centres there. The ministries, the mission in Tripoli and IOM are working to bring those detainees home safely.

Originally reported by Sarakhon.