At least 18 Nigerian migrants have been moved from the Sirte Immigration Detention Center to the southern Libyan city of Sabha, where they will be repatriated to Nigeria.

The transfer took place on Monday, September 15, under the supervision of the Libyan Department for Combating Illegal Migration (DCIM).

According to Migrant Rescue Watch, a humanitarian monitoring group, the migrants were transported by road in a security-controlled convoy. The group explained that the operation is part of Libya’s broader effort to return undocumented foreign nationals to their countries of origin.

Libya has long been a major departure point for migrants hoping to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe. Many of them end up in detention centers, often for months, awaiting deportation or voluntary repatriation.

In recent years, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has been working with Libyan authorities to facilitate these returns, offering migrants the chance to go back home through voluntary repatriation flights.

The latest development highlights the ongoing challenges faced by African migrants in Libya, where detention, harsh living conditions, and stalled migration journeys remain common.