The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor has said that the incident of apprehending 287 Egyptian migrants, including more than 90 children, in a warehouse in Tobruk should draw attention to the need to combat smuggling networks and human trafficking.

The Euro-Med Monitor added in a statement that it followed with great concern the raid by forces affiliated with the Tobruk Security Directorate to a warehouse inside a farm in the south of the city on the evening of Sunday, September 4th, when migrants were found detained in a poor humanitarian situation, and transported to a rescue centre in the city in preparation for their repatriation to Egypt.

The Monitor pointed out that it had seen testimonies published by local media for a large number of migrants who were being held inside the warehouse, as adults said that they paid money in order to reach Libya from which they supposed to migrate to Italy by sea in search of job opportunities.

The Euro-Med Monitor indicated that some migrant children were not aware of the destination they would go to, or even the risks they might face during the migration journey, explaining that the ages of the migrants ranged between 12 and 50 years, and they came from different governorates, including Assiut, Minya and Gharbia.

The Euro-Med Monitor quoted some migrants as saying that they were forced to walk tens of kilometers on foot in a desert environment to reach the place, while their stay in the warehouse ranged between a few days and 6 months, while some of them said that they moved between at least 5 warehouses during their stay in the Libyan territories.