Libyan security forces have arrested a suspected human trafficker transporting undocumented migrants near the eastern city of Ajdabiya, in a continued crackdown on smuggling networks exploiting vulnerable populations across the region.
According to local authorities, the arrest took place on June 20 at a police checkpoint roughly 40 kilometers from Ajdabiya. The driver, a Libyan national, was found to be transporting several migrants under suspicious circumstances.
Law enforcement officials confirmed that an investigation into broader trafficking operations is underway.
This latest development follows a gruesome discovery earlier this year that shocked the nation and the international community.
In February 2025, the bodies of 28 sub-Saharan African migrants were found near an illicit detention facility in the remote Kufra region. The victims had reportedly died under harrowing conditions linked to human trafficking activities.
Authorities have since arrested three individuals in connection with the Kufra case, including two foreign nationals.
The operation to uncover the detention center revealed a grim picture of organized abuse: seventy-six sub-Saharan migrants were being held in captivity, many of them subjected to severe mistreatment.
The Libyan police described the operation as a targeted action against a “gang whose members were holding illegal migrants captive, torturing them, and subjecting them to cruel, degrading, and inhumane treatment.”
Human trafficking remains a persistent and dangerous issue in Libya, a country that has long served as a key transit point for migrants attempting to reach Europe.
Despite years of international pressure and efforts to stem the flow, trafficking rings continue to operate, often taking advantage of the country’s political instability and porous borders.
The Libyan government has pledged to intensify its efforts against human trafficking networks and is calling for increased regional and international cooperation to dismantle the criminal infrastructure enabling such atrocities.
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