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Dhaka: A total of 175 Bangladeshi nationals were repatriated from Libya to Bangladesh this morning at 8:00 a.m. on a Buraq Air flight. The repatriation was carried out through the coordinated efforts of the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, with the cooperation of the Libyan authorities and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), read a press release.
Among the returnees, 30 individuals had been detained at the Ganfuoda Detention Center in Benghazi, while 145 others were distressed, destitute, and physically ill Bangladeshi nationals residing in Benghazi and its surrounding areas. All 175 individuals had expressed their willingness to return voluntarily.
It has been reported that most of the repatriated individuals had entered Libya irregularly by sea, having been lured and assisted by human traffickers with the promise of illegal migration to Europe. Many of them reportedly fell victim to abduction and torture at different times during their stay in Libya.
Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant ministries, along with representatives from IOM, received the returnees at the airport. To help raise public awareness, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs encouraged the returnees to share their harrowing experiences with others.
IOM provided each returnee with travel allowances, food assistance, primary medical care, and temporary accommodation where necessary.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, and IOM continue to work together to ensure the safe repatriation of Bangladeshi nationals detained in various detention centers in Libya.
K
