During a press conference held on the sidelines of the Trans-Mediterranean Migration Forum held in Tripoli last Wednesday (17 July), the Tripoli based Acting Minister of Interior Imad Trabelsi revealed that 10,000 migrants have been deported to their countries in coordination with Tunisia and Italy, and that Libya is working to implement a policy of voluntary return.
He said Libya will stop dealing with any international organization that does not deal seriously or does not adhere to its official duties within Libya.
Irregular migration a burden on Libya
He revealed that more than 90,000 to 120,000 migrants come annually to Libya from sub-Saharan Africa and that Libya has more than 3 million irregular migrants, representing a significant burden on it.
Trabelsi said Libya spent more than US$ 330 million to fight the irregular migration crisis, while receiving only US$ 30 million in aid from EU countries.
The unprecedented influx of irregular migrants, he added, has caused a growth in crime and Libya is suffering from drug crimes, theft and others.
The Acting Interior Minister revealed that Italy and Malta expressed their intention to hold the forum in Libya for cooperation and coordination on the migration file.
On the other hand, he complained that there are other European countries that have not paid attention to this file, despite its importance.
Need more support
Finally, he said the issue of irregular migration must be a key issue, and most importantly, there must be support for countries of origin and transit to reduce this phenomenon, and European partners must do more.
