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Published : 25 May 2026, 08:17 PM
A group of 170 Bangladeshis detained in Libya during failed attempts to cross the Mediterranean to Europe has been repatriated.
A chartered flight of Buraq Air carrying the Bangladeshi citizens landed at Shahjalal International Airport around 8:30am on Monday, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The repatriation was carried out under a joint initiative by the Bangladesh Embassy in Tripoli, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, with assistance from the Libyan government and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
According to the foreign ministry, the majority of these individuals had entered Libya illegally with the help of human traffickers, lured by the prospect of crossing the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe.
"Many of them have alleged that they were victims of abduction and torture at different times during their stay in Libya," the ministry said.
The ministry urged the returnees to share their harrowing experiences with others in their communities to help raise public awareness against human traffickers.
With this latest group, at least 893 detained Bangladeshi nationals have been brought back home from Libya so far this year.
The ministry added that efforts are ongoing to repatriate the remaining Bangladeshis currently detained in the country.
According to data from the IOM, the Mediterranean route continues to be highly dangerous for migrants attempting to reach Europe.
As of mid-May 2026, a total of 6,811 people attempting the sea crossing to Europe had been intercepted and detained in Libya.
During the same period, 822 people were reported dead or missing at sea, although data on how many of them were Bangladeshis was not immediately available.
The scale of the crisis was also significant in 2025.
According to the IOM, 27,116 people were intercepted along the Mediterranean route last year, while 1,699 others were recorded as dead or missing.
