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Bodies of 16 migrants found in Libya desert

September 6, 2017 at 11:34 am

Bodies of African migrants and refugees washed up on the shores of western Libya [Libyan Red Crescent Society/Twitter]

Libyan forces affiliated with retired general Khalifa Haftar reported yesterday that it found the bodies of 16 migrants in the desert near Libya’s border with Egypt.

Ahmed Al-Mismari, spokesman for the Haftar forces in eastern Libya, said that the bodies were found nearly 310 kilometres away from the coastal city of Tobruk, located in southwest Libya.

According to Reuters news agency, Al-Mismari said the search is ongoing in the area but that no more details were available regarding the identity of the migrants.

Read: Algeria sends reinforcements to Libyan border

Patrol cars and rescue workers have previously found the bodies of Egyptian migrants who died after being stranded or abandoned by smugglers in Libya’s eastern desert.

Many migrants prefer to head towards EU countries by boat via Libya, looking for work or a better life than that offered by their own countries, which are experiencing conflict.

In early August, Haftar asked the EU for a massive $20 billion budget to stop migrants from heading towards the EU countries.