Libyan border guards have rescued dozens of migrants in the desert, an officer said Sunday.
An AFP team at the Libyan-Tunisian border saw migrants who were visibly exhausted and dehydrated, sitting or lying on the sand and using shrubs to try and shield themselves from the scorching summer heat that topped 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
The group were in an uninhabited area close to Al-Assah, a town near the Tunisia-Libya border, nearly 150 kilometres (93 miles) west of Tripoli.
"The number of migrants keep rising every day," said Mohamad Abou Snenah of the border patrol unit, telling AFP they have rescued "50 to 70 migrants".
"We offer them medical attention, first aid, considering the journey they have made through the desert."
At a reception center, AFP correspondents saw a group of women and children, including toddlers, lying on mattresses and eating yogurt.
The port of Sfax is a departure point for many migrants from impoverished and violence-torn countries seeking a better life in Europe by making a perilous Mediterranean crossing, often in makeshift boats.
In Libya, human traffickers have long profited from the chaos since the 2011 overthrow of strongman Moamer Kadhafi, and the country has faced accusations over migrant abuse.
Tunisian rights groups said on Friday that between 100 and 150 migrants, including women and children, were still stuck on the border with Libya.
The Tunisian Red Crescent said it has provided shelter to more than 600 migrants who had been taken after July 3 to the militarized zone of Ras Jedir north of Al-Assah on the Mediterranean coast.
