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32,000 Illegal Migrants Rescued Off Libyan Coast in 2021

Libyan forces return illegal migrants to Tripoli. (Libyan navy)
Libyan forces return illegal migrants to Tripoli. (Libyan navy)
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32,000 Illegal Migrants Rescued Off Libyan Coast in 2021

Libyan forces return illegal migrants to Tripoli. (Libyan navy)
Libyan forces return illegal migrants to Tripoli. (Libyan navy)

The International Organization for Migration said Tuesday more than 32,000 illegal migrants have been rescued and returned to Libya in 2021.

"In 2021, 32,425 migrants were rescued/intercepted at sea and returned to Libya," the UN agency said.

It revealed that 655 illegal migrants died, and 897 others went missing off the Libyan coast on the Central Mediterranean route in 2021.

In 2020, a total of 11,891 illegal migrants were rescued and returned to Libya, while 381 died and 597 others went missing on the Central Mediterranean route, said the agency.

The international organizations have complained that the migrants in the shelter centers in Libya are being mistreated.

Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior for Directorates Affairs, Bashir Al-Amin called on the Anti-Illegal Migration Agency to treat the migrants well and to provide adequate conditions for them, including healthcare and food.

Amin met mid-last week with head of Anti-Illegal Migration Agency Muhammad Al-Khouja and directors of departments and heads of the Agency-affiliated offices.

The meeting discussed the obstacles facing the fight against illegal immigration, amid a huge inflow of migrants to the country.

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NGOs Seek UN Emergency Rights Meeting, Investigation on Israel's War on Lebanon

An excavator operates around a damaged building targeted by an Israeli airstrike, in the town of Barja, Chouf district, Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon, 06 November 2024. (EPA)
An excavator operates around a damaged building targeted by an Israeli airstrike, in the town of Barja, Chouf district, Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon, 06 November 2024. (EPA)
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NGOs Seek UN Emergency Rights Meeting, Investigation on Israel's War on Lebanon

An excavator operates around a damaged building targeted by an Israeli airstrike, in the town of Barja, Chouf district, Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon, 06 November 2024. (EPA)
An excavator operates around a damaged building targeted by an Israeli airstrike, in the town of Barja, Chouf district, Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon, 06 November 2024. (EPA)

A group of NGOs pressed countries on Wednesday to hold an emergency session of the United Nations Human Rights Council to set up an investigation into abuses committed by both sides of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon.

Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah have been fighting for more than a year, in parallel with Israel's war in Gaza, after Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel in solidarity with its ally Hamas.

The Lebanon conflict has dramatically escalated since mid-September, with most of the more than 3,000 deaths reported by Lebanon since October 2023 occurring in that period.

In a letter to diplomatic missions, 12 NGOs including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International urged states to act decisively over a situation "spiraling out of control", citing incidents such as Israeli strikes on civilian infrastructure such as homes and hospitals.

"There's a huge risk of the same types of atrocities occurring in Lebanon as in Gaza," said Jeremie Smith, Geneva Director of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, whose organization is leading the call.

"Entire towns are being levelled, thousands of people are being killed and injured and there's not a single investigation that has been opened by anyone, anywhere. We can't let that stand," he told Reuters.

The meeting is almost certain to obtain the required one-third of votes in the 47-member council but would need the support of Lebanon, which some diplomats said might have reservations about inviting scrutiny of Hezbollah's actions.

Lebanon's Geneva ambassador Salim Baddoura told Reuters a session was "possible" but that Beirut had yet to take a decision.

Debates addressing Israel's policies have in the past been controversial and current voting member the United States temporarily left the council in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump alleging anti-Israeli bias.

Such a meeting could also reignite allegations of double standards against Western states supportive of accountability for Russian violations in Ukraine since its 2022 invasion, but who maintain support for Israel.

Israel's military says it tries to avoid harming civilians but says Hamas and Hezbollah fighters hide among them.

The UN body does not have legally binding powers but it can mandate investigations to document abuses, which sometimes form the basis for war crimes prosecutions.