The bodies of 27 migrants were found near the border of Tunisia The Libyan authorities said that at least 27 migrants from sub-Saharan coun...
The bodies of 27 migrants were found near the border of Tunisia
The Libyan authorities said that at least 27 migrants from sub-Saharan countries have died in recent days in the western desert of the country near the border with Tunisia.
In a statement published by the Libyan Ministry of Interior on Facebook, it said that the bodies were found near the border on Tuesday evening and that a search team was sent to the area. In the message, the ministry published pictures of African migrants receiving treatment from Libyan medical groups.
Mohammed Hamouda, the spokesman of the Libyan government, confirmed to the Associated Press that the bodies had been found, but refused to give further details.
In recent months, the security forces of Tunisia have started to take away some migrants from the coastal areas of the country, taking them to different places, and as the migrants said, they are throwing away some of them in the desert.
The eastern coast of Tunisia has overtaken its neighbor Libya as the main launching point for migrants in the region, mostly from sub-Saharan countries, who are trying to enter Italy and other parts of Europe in small boats.
The National Committee for the Protection of Human Rights in Libya, a human rights group that works with the Libyan authorities, said it believed that the Tunisian security forces expelled the migrants by force, abandoning them in the desert without water or food.
Ahmed Hamza, the head of the committee, told the AP news agency that the Libyan border guards found the bodies last Tuesday.
However, the spokesman of the Libyan army denied that human bodies were found near the Tunisian border on Tuesday, but refused to give further details.
In a separate incident on Wednesday, it is believed that 41 migrants drowned after the boat carrying them capsized off the coast of Tunisia.
Human traffickers have taken advantage of Libya's decade of instability, making a fortune through international smuggling routes.