MSF says illegal migrants in Libya detention suffer from malnutrition

Doctors without Borders teams in Libya. [Photo: Archive]

Dozens of migrants are suffering from malnutrition in a detention center in Libya’s capital, an international charity said Thursday.

Doctors Without Borders said its survey showed that over 300 people, including more than 100 children, are being held in the Sabaa detention center in Tripoli.

Around 75 detainees are malnourished or underweight, with children significantly more likely to suffer moderate or severe malnutrition, it said. Several people reported receiving only one meal every two to three days, with new arrivals waiting four days before receiving food.

“What we see today in this single detention center is symptomatic of an uncontrolled, unjustified, and reckless system that puts the lives of refugees and migrants at risk,” said Karline Kleijer, Doctors Without Borders’ head of emergencies.

She urged Libyan authorities to release those held in Sabaa, almost half of whom have been detained for six months or more.

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