The discovery of a mass grave in the desert of western Libya

The United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) expressed its concern on Friday about the discovery of a mass grave containing the remains of at least 65 migrants in the desert of western Libya.

The Libyan Criminal Investigation Service announced early this week that the cemetery was discovered in the town of Al-Shuwerf, 350 kilometers from the capital, Tripoli.

He said on his Facebook page that 65 bodies of unidentified migrants were recovered from the cemetery, samples were taken for DNA testing, and the bodies were reburied in another cemetery.

The International Organization for Migration added that the nationalities of the migrants whose bodies were found and the circumstances of their deaths are unknown. But they most likely died while fleeing through the desert.

Libya is a major route for migrants making their way from other parts of Africa and intending to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.

Human smugglers have taken advantage of Libya’s political chaos to smuggle migrants across its desert borders, an often dangerous route. Once they reach the coast, they are piled onto ill-equipped boats, including rubber dinghies, and set off on dangerous sea journeys.

At least 962 migrants were reported killed and 1,563 others missing off Libya in 2023.

Those intercepted and returned to Libya are held in government-run detention centers rife with abuse, including forced labor, beatings, rape and torture, according to the International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrants Project.

The organization said the recent deaths show the need for a coordinated response to migrants and smuggling, including “creating regular routes that provide opportunities for legal migration,” and greater government efforts along the routes to ensure the safety of migrants.