450 Bangladeshi migrants to be repatriated from Libya

Around 450 irregular and undocumented Bangladeshi migrants are expected to return home in three separate chartered flights from Libya this month, under arrangements by the Bangladesh Embassy in Tripoli and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

The first flight is scheduled for March 12 from Tripoli, followed by two more on March 19 from Benghazi and March 26 from Misrata, according to a Facebook post by the embassy yesterday.

The dates are revised from previous ones, which were delayed due to unavoidable issues related to immigration clearance.

An official from the Bangladesh mission explained that flight schedules are sometimes subject to change, as they depend on obtaining visas for the irregular migrants.

The official, speaking anonymously, added that last year, with the support of IOM, over 3,000 irregular migrants were repatriated in approximately 20 flights. This year, one flight has already been completed.

Sources from the Bangladesh mission noted that the majority of the migrants set to return attempted to reach Italy via the Mediterranean Sea route but were unsuccessful, ultimately ending up in detention centres across Libya.

There are also migrants who initially entered Libya through regular processes but later became undocumented due to various circumstances.

Md Rasel Miah, first secretary (labour welfare) at the Bangladesh mission in Tripoli, told The Daily Star that they have been providing continuous support to Bangladeshi migrants in Libya.

He added that IOM has been arranging regular chartered flights and providing reintegration support for returning migrants upon their return to Bangladesh.