CAIRO — Libya's coast guard intercepted on Friday more than 80 Europe-bound migrants in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of the North African country, the U.N. migration agency said. The migrants were returned to Libyan soil, said the International Organization for Migration. The IOM posted photographs on Twitter showing its staff members speaking with mostly African male migrants on a Libyan pier. Late Thursday, the IOM said the Libyan navy returned to Libya another 86 migrants, including seven women and 19 children, who were intercepted earlier in the Mediterranean. Also on Friday, SOS Mediterranee, tweeted that its rescue ship Ocean Viking, found and rescued two rubber boats in distress, carrying 140 people, including women and children.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 22, 2021 22:32 UTC