The Libyan Coast Guard has intercepted nearly 9,000 irregular migrants since the beginning of the year, including over 500 women and 290 children, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
In a report released on Tuesday, the IOM stated that it has recorded over 350 deaths and more than 500 missing persons in the Mediterranean during the same period.
The report also highlighted that in 2023, the Libyan Coast Guard intercepted and returned over 17,000 migrants to Libya.
Presently, the IOM estimates there are currently 725,304 migrants in Libya from 44 different nationalities spread across 100 municipalities.
Although this figure marks the highest count since 2016, it remains lower than the pre-2011 total estimated at around 2.5 million migrants.
