More than 600 Nigerien nationals were forcibly deported from Libya in what is believed to be one of the largest expulsions from the country in recent years, according to The Guardian.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) confirmed that 613 migrants arrived in the Nigerien town of Dirkou, having travelled across the Sahara Desert in a convoy of trucks. The expulsion is part of a broader campaign by Libyan authorities over the past month to round up migrant workers. This large-scale deportation is unprecedented in recent memory, surpassing an earlier expulsion of 400 people last July.
In another context, Libyan law enforcement successfully intercepted a significant smuggling operation at the Ras Ajdir border crossing with Tunisia, according to a statement from the General Directorate of Security Operations in Libya. The authorities reported that patrol units assigned to secure the Ras Ajdir crossing apprehended multiple vehicles carrying large quantities of illicit goods intended for smuggling. The intercepted cargo included various materials and merchandise prepared for illegal transport across the border.
