Thousands of trapped immigrants found in Sabratha camps

Immigrants at shelter centers (Photo: Archive – Internet)

Thousands of migrants have been found trapped in camps in Libya the past days after they were caught amid the fighting over the northwestern city of Sabratha, officials said Sunday, according to the Associated Press.

Over 4,000 migrants, including pregnant women and children, were found in the past two days in different locations in town, said Saleh Graisia, the spokesman for Anti-ISIS Operation Room. The group is now in control of the city of Sabratha.
Graisia accused the al-Ammu brigade — which struck a deal with Italy and Libya to stop trafficking — of storing the migrants to smuggle them later. It wasn’t immediately possible to reach al-Ammu for comment.

Essam Karrar, the head of the Sabratha Civil Society Federation, said 1,700 migrants were found at the western edge of Sabratha, which used to be under control of al-Ammu, while the rest were scattered elsewhere. He said al-Ammu intended to deport the migrants, AP reported.

The city is now “healing its wounds” after the fighting shattered families and brothers raised guns against each other, it added.

“We the people in Sabratha were only tools in the hands of Europeans,” he said.

The deal with Italy led to a dramatic drop in migration from Sabratha but some in Libya feared the salaries and supplies would enrich the armed groups and make them more powerful. The boost to one side threw off the balance of power in Sabratha, triggering a backlash from other local froces.

The views expressed in Op-Ed pieces are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of Libyan Express.
How to submit an Op-Ed: Libyan Express accepts opinion articles on a wide range of topics. Submissions may be sent to oped@libyanexpress.com. Please include ‘Op-Ed’ in the subject line.
You might also like

Submit a Correction

For: Thousands of trapped immigrants found in Sabratha camps

Your suggestion have been successfully submitted

There was an error while trying to send your request. Please try again.

Libyan Express will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide updates and marketing.