Dozens of illegal migrants released from Tripoli detention centre

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said that 57 illegal migrants have been released from a detection centre in the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

"The UNHCR helped to secure the release of 57 asylum-seekers from Ain Zara detention cent, following their arrests in October during the Libyan security operations in Tripoli," the UN agency said in a statement.

The released migrants, who were from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan, including unaccompanied children, and people with illnesses or medical issues, expressed their worries about the future since many had lost their homes and belongings, it added.

The UNHCR expressed gratitude to the Libyan authorities for their support in the releases, hoping for further releases of others remaining in detention.


Many illegal migrants, mostly Africans, choose to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores from Libya, given the state of chaos and insecurity that plagued the country since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011.

Rescued migrants end up inside overcrowded reception centers across Libya, despite repeated international calls to close those centres.-IANS