More than 11,000 migrants from Libya have been flown back to their countries via the voluntary return program during the last year, a report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Wednesday said.
The UN organization said it assisted more than 11,000 migrants to voluntarily return from Libya to 21 countries of origin, noting that among the returnees were 2,895 children, 44 unaccompanied migrant children, and 866 migrants who had medical needs.
According to the IOM data, in 2022, 24,684 migrants were returned to Libya by the Libyan Coast Guard, General Administration for Coastal Security, and other entities.
The IOM recorded 529 deaths and 848 missing persons along the Central Mediterranean Route in the same year.
Libya is a transit point for many irregular migrants to Europe, while thousands of them remain in Libyan detention centres.
