Tripoli (Kaab TV) — Libyan security forces have rescued more than 200 migrants from a clandestine underground detention facility in the southeastern town of Kufra, where they were held in brutal and degrading conditions.
Security officials said the migrants were discovered in an improvised prison nearly three meters underground, allegedly operated by a Libyan human trafficker. The facility contained multiple subterranean cells, and some detainees had reportedly been confined there for as long as two years. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to brief the media.
“Some of the migrants had been detained in these underground cells for up to two years,” one security official said.
Another official described the discovery as “one of the most serious crimes against humanity uncovered in the region,” adding that the raid revealed “inhumane detention conditions marked by extreme cruelty.”
The migrants—including women and children—are from sub-Saharan Africa, primarily Somalia and Eritrea, according to authorities.
Kufra, located in eastern Libya about 1,700 kilometers (1,055 miles) southeast of the capital Tripoli, has long served as a major transit hub for migrants seeking to reach Libya’s Mediterranean coast and, ultimately, Europe.
Authorities said the suspected trafficker who operated the facility has not yet been arrested, and investigations are ongoing.
The rescue comes amid growing evidence of widespread abuse of migrants in eastern Libya. Just last week, security officials reported the discovery of at least 21 migrant bodies in a mass grave in the region. Two officials told Reuters that up to 10 survivors rescued from captivity showed clear signs of torture.
In February last year, Libyan authorities recovered 39 migrant bodies from approximately 55 mass graves in and around Kufra, underscoring the town’s grim role in trafficking routes across the Sahara.
Kufra has also become home to tens of thousands of Sudanese refugees who fled fighting that erupted in Sudan in 2023, placing additional strain on local resources and further complicating security conditions in the remote desert area.
International human rights organizations have repeatedly documented cases of arbitrary detention, torture, and forced labor involving migrants in Libya, calling for greater accountability and stronger protections along one of the world’s deadliest migration routes.
Libyan authorities said the rescued migrants were transferred to care facilities for medical treatment and humanitarian assistance, though details regarding their long-term protection or possible repatriation were not immediately disclosed.