Libyan authorities deported over 150 Nigerian women and children on Tuesday through a UN-affiliated voluntary return program.
The initiative aims to assist irregular migrants seeking to leave the North African nation.
Libya serves as a major transit point for individuals, primarily from Africa, attempting perilous Mediterranean crossings to reach Europe.
Mohamad Baredaa, from Libya’s migration agency, confirmed that all those deported were Nigerian women accompanied by their children.
Sources at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) specified the group consisted of 160 women and 17 children.
The migrants, clad mostly in black tracksuits, were transported from a Tripoli detention center to Mitiga airport for their flight home.
Baredaa further indicated that additional repatriation flights are scheduled this week from both Mitiga and Benghazi airports.
Flights will carry groups of migrants from Bangladesh, Gambia, and Mali.
Libya’s instability since the 2011 ouster of Moamer Kadhafi has fostered an environment exploited by human traffickers.
The IOM estimates that over 700,000 migrants reside in Libya, though Libyan authorities suggest the actual number could be significantly higher.
Interior Minister Imad Trabelsi recently stated there might be over four million migrants in the country, many undocumented.
Trabelsi emphasized Libya’s commitment to not bearing the burden of illegal immigration alone.
