The bodies of at least 65 migrants have been discovered in a mass grave in Libya, the International Organization for Migration said Friday, adding that it is “profoundly shocked and alarmed.”
In a statement, the IOM said that although certain details about the dead, such as their nationalities and the circumstances of their deaths, are unknown, “it is believed that they died in the process of being smuggled through the desert.”
Human trafficking groups have taken advantage of political turmoil in Libya since its former ruler, Moammar Gadhafi, was overthrown and killed in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.
The nation has since turned into a route for migrants seeking to escape conflict and poverty and go to Europe.
Migrants from other parts of Africa come to Libya to try to cross the Mediterranean Sea.
The route to Europe, mostly because of human traffickers, has become one of the most dangerous migratory routes in the world. The IOM Missing Migrants Project reported at least 3,129 deaths and disappearances along the route in 2023.
Migrants who are intercepted and brought back to Libya are put in government-run detention centers and subject to horrific abuse, The Associated Press said, citing the IOM project.
