Authorities detain over 2000 irregular migrants in Libya

Security forces in Libya detained more than 2000 irregular migrants in one day during a large-scale security operation in the southwestern city of Sebha, Libya Review reported on February 3rd.

 Senior security officials in Sebha held an emergency meeting in the early morning hours to plan and coordinate the operation, authorities said. Following the meeting, personnel from the Sebha Security Directorate, the Security Operations Department, and the Illegal Migration Control Agency were deployed as joint forces.

During the raids, joint forces detained migrants of various nationalities and dismantled several sites authorities described as gathering points and shelters, according to the Sebha Security Directorate.

Migrant smuggling and human trafficking have expanded across Libya since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that led to the fall of Muammar Gaddafi and the collapse of central state authority.

Researchers at Chatham House have described Sebha as one of the main centres of migrant smuggling in Libya. The city had long been an important stop on trade and migration routes for migrants seeking to reach Europe, while weak borders and fragmented security forces allowed smuggling networks to grow, according to researchers.

Sebha’s location and the presence of different armed groups controlling the city made illegal migration part of the local economy in the marginalised region, the researchers said.

The detentions come amid broader enforcement efforts across Libya in recent months, particularly at the country’s southern borders, through which many migrants enter the North African country, which they see as a gateway to Europe.

It was reported on January 22nd that Libyan authorities deported 69 undocumented migrants of Egyptian nationality from the northeastern port city of Benghazi.

Furthermore, a separate report on January 4th stated that security forces detained 41 migrants of different African nationalities during coordinated raids on several sites that were reportedly used to house migrants illegally in Al-Qaryat and Abu Al-Gharb areas in the country’s west.

Another large operation took place in July 2025, in which authorities raided informal settlements east of Tripoli and detained more than 1500 migrants, Libya’s Ministry of Labour announced on July 26th.

Libya Review, Chatham House, Maghrebi.org