Libya’s authorities have uncovered two mass graves containing nearly 50 bodies of migrants and refugees in the country’s southeastern desert. The remains were found on Friday in a farm in the city of Kufra, where one mass grave contained 19 bodies and another had at least 30 bodies.
According to survivor accounts, some of those found dead were shot before being buried. This is not an isolated incident, as human traffickers have benefited from Libya’s instability for over a decade, smuggling migrants across the country’s borders with six nations.
Rights groups and UN agencies have documented systematic abuse against asylum seekers in Libya, including forced labor, beatings, rapes, and torture. Those intercepted and returned to Libya are often held in government-run detention centers where they face similar abuses.
The chaos in Libya began in 2011, following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed leader Muammar Gaddafi. The country has been ruled by rival governments ever since, each backed by various fighter groups and foreign governments.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/9