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Published : 01 Apr 2026, 01:03 AM
A group of 175 Bangladeshi migrants held in two detention centres in Libya are being repatriated with support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The returnees are scheduled to arrive at Shahjalal International Airport early Wednesday, Bangladesh Embassy confirmed in a social media post.
According to the mission, 113 of the migrants were held at the Tadjoura detention centre in Tripoli, while 62 were at the Ganfouda centre in Benghazi.
The group includes 14 individuals who are currently suffering from physical ailments.
Bangladesh Ambassador to Libya Maj Gen Md Habib Ullah oversaw the repatriation process at Tripoli’s Mitiga International Airport on Tuesday.
Expressing gratitude to the Libyan authorities and the IOM, the ambassador hoped for continued cooperation in assisting stranded nationals.
During an emotional send-off, many migrants shared harrowing accounts of their journeys.
They described being held hostage by trafficking syndicates, subjected to physical torture for ransom, and deprived of adequate food, water, and medical care.
Some returnees revealed they had spent nearly Tk 5 million by selling ancestral land, only to end up in detention.
Ambassador Habib urged the returnees to start afresh and share their "miserable experiences" in their home communities to deter others from taking such life-threatening, irregular routes.
"Given the recent spate of shipwrecks in the Mediterranean, you are fortunate to be returning home alive," the ambassador said.
He also encouraged the victims to take strict legal action against the middlemen and traffickers who deceived them to ensure others do not fall into the same trap.
