Hundreds of illegal immigrants repatriated from Libya

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Friday that 376 illegal immigrants were voluntarily repatriated Thursday from Libya to their countries of origins.

"Yesterday, 376 immigrants received voluntary humanitarian return assistance, going back to Gambia and Nigeria," IOM said.

"IOM continues to support stranded immigrants in Libya and currently works to provide return assistance to 15,000 immigrants this month in Libya," the organization added.

A day ago, IOM revealed that 14,754 illegal immigrants from 24 countries have been repatriated from Libya in 2017.

In 2006, the IOM and the Libyan authorities launched a humanitarian program to repatriate immigrants stranded in Libyan shelters to their own countries.

Libya has become a preferred departure point for illegal immigrants hoping to cross the Mediterranean into Europe, because of insecurity and chaos in the North African country following the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi.