Libya deports illegal Nigerian migrants

Twenty six illegal migrants from Nigeria were sent home aboard a a chartered flight at on Tuesday as part of a “voluntary return” programme sponsored by the Libyan government and the International Organization for Migration.

The programme is one of the ways European Union states fight illegal migration and human trafficking in Libya, which has become the main migration departure point for Europe.

In 2016, the IOM flew 2,775 migrants back, and is expecting to increase that number to between 7,000 and 10,000 in 2017, with new European funding. REUTERS