Libyan security authorities have freed more than 200 migrants from what they described as a secret prison in the town of Kufra in southeastern Libya, where detainees were held in inhuman conditions, according to two local security sources who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. The sources said an underground prison nearly three metres deep was discovered during an operation by security forces, adding that the facility was allegedly run by a Libyan human trafficker who had not yet been detained.
“Some of the freed migrants were held captive up to two years in the underground cells,” one of the sources said, while another described the discovery as “one of the most serious crimes against humanity that has been uncovered in the region.” “The operation resulted in a raid on a secret prison within the city, where several inhumane underground detention cells were uncovered,” the source added, noting that those freed included women and children from sub-Saharan Africa, mainly Somalia and Eritrea. Kufra is located about 1,700 kilometres from the capital, Tripoli.
Libya has become a major transit route for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi, with poor security leaving many vulnerable to abuse, while its oil-based economy also attracts impoverished workers. Last week, at least 21 migrant bodies were found in a mass grave in eastern Libya, with up to 10 survivors showing signs of torture, according to security sources, and Libya’s attorney general said a suspect had been referred to court on charges of “committing serious violations against migrants.” In February last year, authorities recovered 39 migrant bodies from about 55 mass graves in Kufra, which also hosts tens of thousands of Sudanese refugees who fled the conflict that began in Sudan in 2023.