Libyan border guards have recovered the bodies of several migrants from a desert area where many have reportedly been forcibly taken by Tunisian authorities, Tripoli's interior ministry said Tuesday. The border agents "have discovered five unidentified bodies of irregular migrants of African origin during a patrol in the Dahr al-Khass area" near the Tunisian boundary, the interior ministry said in a statement. Since mid-July, Libyan border guards have rescued dozens of migrants who said Tunisian authorities had taken them to an uninhabited area near Al-Assah, 150 kilometres (93 miles) west of Tripoli and around 15 kilometres inside Libyan territory. Online videos published by border agents show migrants arriving by foot across the Tunisian border. On July 18, independent UN experts urged Tunisia to stop the "collective expulsions" of migrants, following reports that dozens had been left by Tunisian police in the desert near Libya.

Source: Libya Today July 25, 2023 19:35 UTC