African migrants stranded on a boat coming from Libya wait for rescue services, near Sfax, on the Tunisian coast, on June 4, 2011. Between 200 and 270 migrants fleeing the conflict in neighbouring Libya went missing on June 2 off of Tunisia, while nearly 600 others were rescued alive after their boat capsized. AFP PHOTO / HAFIDH (Photo credit should read HAFIDH/AFP/Getty Images)
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Sunday said 120 illegal migrants were rescued and returned to Libya.
“Earlier today, some 120 persons were rescued/intercepted by the Libyan Coast Guards in two disembarkation operations,” UNHCR tweeted.
“The individuals were returned to the Tripoli Naval Base where UNHCR and its medical partner IRC provided urgent humanitarian assistance,” it said.
Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since the fall of its leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making the North African country a preferred point of departure for illegal migrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.
So far this year, more than 20,000 illegal migrants, including women and children, have been rescued, while hundreds of others have died or gone missing off the Libyan coast on the Central Mediterranean route, according to the International Organization for Migration.