The UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Thursday that a boat carrying more than 120 migrants was stopped in the Mediterranean on Wednesday night and the migrants returned to Libya.
Safa Msehli, an IOM spokesperson, said 126 migrants from the vessel were taken to detention centers inside Libya.
“We reiterate that Libya is not a port of safety,” the IOM tweeted, after the rescue of the immigrants was done off the Libyan coast.
Libya has been the favorable route to Europe for many African and Arab immigrants who escape poverty and war in their homelands. Unfortunately, the risky route via the Mediterranean has caused thousands of deaths since 2011, according to the IOM.
