TRIPOLI, Sept 15 (NNN-Xinhua) — The Libyan Interior Ministry said it detained 109 illegal immigrants bound for Europe in the western city Zliten, some 160 km east of the capital Tripoli.
The migrants include 16 women and two children, the ministry said, adding that they are of Eritrean and Sudanese origin.
The ministry said that legal measures were taken against the migrants.
Libya has been a preferred point of departure for illegal immigrants wanting to cross the Mediterranean towards European shores ever since the 2011 uprising toppled its leader Muammar Gaddafi and plunged the country into insecurity and chaos.
Migrants who are rescued at sea or detained by the Libyan authorities end up in overcrowded reception centers across the country. — NNN-XINHUA
