Libya’s smuggling routes move online

Libya’s role as a waypoint for migrant crossings toward Italy is being reinforced through simple digital advertising, private chats and staged payments, as reported by Maghrebi Week on May 4th.

To arrange passage, it is now enough to contact a number on Facebook, listing Libya as the main operational space, with departures advertised from Tripoli, Benghazi, and the western Libyan coast; Italy is presented both as a destination and as a gateway to northern Europe.

The report also points to a parallel market in false documents. The broader implication is that Libya remains central to the Central Mediterranean route. Still, its role is changing into the physical hub of a business model marketed, negotiated and coordinated online.

Maghrebi week