MOGADISHU – Nearly 100 Somali nationals, most of them young people, have been repatriated from detention centres in Libya in a coordinated return operation supported by international partners and Somali authorities, officials said.
The returnees, who had been held in various detention facilities across Libya, were flown to Mogadishu in a special repatriation flight and received at Aden Adde International Airport by government officials, migration officers, and humanitarian agencies.
Authorities said many of the returnees had spent months or even years in detention after being intercepted or arrested while attempting to transit through Libya en route to Europe via irregular migration routes.
Officials described the conditions in some of the detention centres as “severe and overcrowded,” with reports of inadequate food, limited medical care, and exposure to abuse and exploitation. Several of the returnees appeared visibly weakened upon arrival, according to humanitarian workers present at the airport.
The Somali government said the operation was part of ongoing efforts to protect citizens stranded abroad, particularly those caught in irregular migration networks that pass through Libya, which remains one of the most dangerous transit hubs for migrants heading toward Europe.
The repatriation effort was reportedly carried out in coordination with international migration agencies and humanitarian partners working to assist vulnerable migrants in North Africa. Officials did not immediately provide details on the specific organizations involved in the latest flight.
Libya has long been a key transit point for migrants from East and West Africa seeking to cross the Mediterranean Sea. However, the country’s instability has turned it into a major centre of migrant detention, where human rights groups have repeatedly documented cases of abuse, extortion, forced labour, and trafficking.
Somali authorities said they will provide initial reintegration support for the returnees, including temporary shelter, psychosocial assistance, and efforts to reconnect them with their families. Discussions are also ongoing about longer-term reintegration programmes aimed at reducing the risk of re-migration.
Officials urged Somali youth to avoid irregular migration routes, warning that many who attempt the journey through Libya and the Mediterranean face life-threatening risks and uncertain outcomes.
The government reaffirmed its commitment to working with international partners to secure the release and return of more Somali nationals still believed to be held in detention centres across Libya.
