The FE – 340 irregular Bangladeshi migrants return from Libya
As many as 340 irregular Bangladeshi migrants returned home on Friday from Libya, most of whom had entered the country intending to travel illegally to Europe by sea.
They were brought back from the Libyan capital Tripoli by Fly Oya International flights, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Their voluntary repatriation was carried out by the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, in cooperation with the Libyan government and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Most of the returnees are known to have entered Libya at the instigation of and with the help of human traffickers, intending to travel illegally to Europe by sea, read the statement.
Many of them are alleged to have been abducted and tortured in Libya at different times.
Officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, other relevant ministries and the IOM received the returnees at the airport in Dhaka.
The foreign ministry urged them to share their harrowing experiences with others to increase public awareness about the risks of irregular migration.
The IOM provided each returnee with travel expenses, some food, first aid and temporary accommodation as part of the voluntary repatriation process.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment and the IOM are working together to ensure the safe repatriation of Bangladeshi citizens held in various detention centers in Libya, said the statement.
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