IOM Says About 100 Refugees Returned To Libyan Shore Amid Increased Clashes

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th August, 2019) The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday that approximately 100 migrants were returned to the Libyan shore in the wake of escalated clashes in the country, adding that Libya is not a safe place for migrants.

"Happening now: some 100 migrants have just been returned to #Libyan shore amid escalating clashes. While our teams are there to provide immediate assistance, we reiterate that #Libya is not a safe port for disembarkation," the IOM wrote on Twitter.

Libya has become an unstable state torn between militias and the central government since the Western-backed toppling of Muammar Gaddafi back in 2011.

The tensions flared up in April when the Libyan National Army, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, launched an offensive to retake the Libyan capital of Tripoli from forces loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord.

Over the past eight years, the country has come to be the last stop on the dangerous route to Europe for migrants fleeing war, persecution, and poverty in Africa and the middle East. Due to the ongoing political chaos, human smugglers thrive in the country.