The International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced on Friday that 137 illegal immigrants were voluntarily deported from Libya to Nigeria.
“137 migrants returned home from Tripoli to Lagos, Nigeria, with support from IOM Libya’s Voluntary Humanitarian Return program,” the IOM said.
“Amid the conflict in southern Tripoli, our staff are on the ground continuing to provide emergency and lifesaving assistance,” the IOM added.
Since early April, Tripoli witnessed armed conflict between the east-based army and the UN-backed government over control of the capital Tripoli.
The IOM is running a voluntary return program with an aim to arrange the return of illegal immigrants stranded in Libya to their countries of origin.
Migrant shelters in Libya are crowded with thousands of migrants who have been rescued at sea or arrested by Libyan security services.
Libya has become a preferred point of departure for illegal immigrants hoping to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe due to insecurity and chaos in the North African country following the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi.
