Migrant deaths persist as Libya anchors Europe’s migration policy

Bodies brought back by the sea continue to wash up along Libya’s coastline.

Volunteers from the Libyan Red Crescent in Al Khums retrieved seven bodies of migrants from the shoreline in the Qasr Al-Akhyar area, according to Libya Observer on 24 February. The organization said the bodies were found during the night of 22 February in Qasr Al-Akhyar, a coastal town about 73 kilometers east of Tripoli. The victims were believed to be sub-Saharan migrants. Among the bodies were three children and one woman.

A judicial officer at the Qasr Al-Akhyar police station said the number of missing persons remains unknown, particularly due to rough sea conditions over the past two months, according to Xinhua. Meanwhile, Arab News reported that more than 2,100 irregular migrants died or went missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe last year, citing data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Libya remains a key transit country for thousands of migrants attempting to reach Europe each year, with deaths at sea frequently reported. Despite the scale of the humanitarian crisis, the country continues to play a central role in Europe’s strategy to contain irregular migration across the Mediterranean.

European officials have repeatedly described cooperation with Libya as “vital” to controlling irregular migration, highlighting coordination on border management, interceptions at sea, and efforts to curb departures from the Libyan coastline. Magnus Brunner, the EU’s Commissioner for Migration, on November 2025, saying that the EU has no option but to strategise with Libya to tackle irregular migration. This cooperation includes financial and logistical support provided by the European Union. One of the most well-known arrangements is the 2017 Memorandum of Understanding on Migration Cooperation (MoU) between Italy and Libya, under which Rome committed to providing financial and logistical support to the Libyan coast guard and cooperating on border control in the North African country.

However, the  Europe’s approach has drawn sharp criticism from human rights advocates.  Outsourcing migration control to Libya has shifted responsibility to a country marked by political fragmentation, weak institutions, and limited oversight. As a result, migrants intercepted at sea are routinely returned to Libya, where they face detention in precarious conditions.

Conditions inside migrant detention facilities remain a major concern.  Migrants are often held in overcrowded centers with limited access to medical care, food, and sanitation, while arbitrary detention and abuse have been repeatedly documented.

The gravity of the situation prompted the head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Amy Pope, to visit Libya in December 2025.“People on the move deserve protection, dignity and hope, not danger. Saving lives requires shared responsibility and real cooperation”, Pope said, highlighting the growing tension between Europe’s migration-control objectives and the humanitarian realities faced by migrants on the ground in Libya.

As bodies continue to wash ashore, the tragedy underscores the human cost of deterrence-focused migration policies. Without meaningful reforms, safer migration pathways, and improved protection mechanisms, observers warn that cooperation centered solely on containment risks perpetuating a cycle of suffering along Libya’s coast.

Libya Obsver, Arab News, Xinhua, Maghrebi.org