More than 100 migrants freed in Libya after being held captive by gang, officials say, World News
"A criminal group involved in organising the smuggling of migrants, depriving them of their freedom, trafficking them, and torturing them to force their families to pay ransoms for their release," a statement from the attorney general said.
Libya has become a transit route for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty to Europe via the dangerous route across the desert and over the Mediterranean following the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in a Nato-backed uprising in 2011.
Many migrants desperate to make the crossing have fallen into the hands of traffickers. The freed migrants had been held in Ajdabiya, some 160km from Libya's second city Benghazi.
Five suspected traffickers from Libya, Sudan and Egypt, have been arrested, officials said.
The attorney general and Ajdabiya security directorate posted pictures of the migrants on their Facebook pages which they said had been retrieved from the suspects' mobile phones.
They showed migrants with hands and legs cuffed with signs that they had been beaten.
In February, at least 28 bodies were recovered from a mass grave in the desert north of Kufra city. Officials said a gang had subjected the migrants to torture and inhumane treatment.
That followed another 19 bodies being found in a mass grave in the Jikharra area, also in southeastern Libya, a security directorate said, blaming a known smuggling network.
As of December 2024, around 825,000 migrants from 47 countries were recorded in Libya, according to UN data released in May.
Last week, the EU migration commissioner and ministers from Italy, Malta and Greece met with the internationally recognised prime minister of the national unity government, Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and discussed the migration crisis.
[[nid:718209]]
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Aug 3, 2025
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Palestinians returning from an aid distribution point run by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in the central Gaza Strip, on Aug 2. Hamas demands independent Palestinian state Hamas said on Aug 2 that it would not disarm unless an independent Palestinian state is established - a fresh rebuke to a key Israeli demand to end the war in Gaza. Indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel aimed at securing a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza war and deal for the release of hostages ended last week in deadlock. On July 29, Qatar and Egypt, who are mediating ceasefire efforts, endorsed a declaration by France and Saudi Arabia outlining steps towards a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and saying that as part of this Hamas must hand over its arms to the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. In its statement, Hamas - which has dominated Gaza since 2007 but has been militarily battered by Israel in the war - said it could not yield its right to 'armed resistance' unless an 'independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital' is established. READ MORE HERE US envoy Steve Witkoff meets Israeli hostage families US envoy Steve Witkoff met anguished relatives of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza on Aug 2, as fears for the captives' survival mounted almost 22 months into the war sparked by Hamas' October 2023 attack. Mr Witkoff was greeted with some applause and pleas for assistance from hundreds of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv, before going into a closed meeting with the families. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore $3b money laundering case: MinLaw names 6 law firms taken to task over involvement in property deals Singapore Police reopen access to all areas in Marina Bay after crowd congestion eases at NDP Preview area Singapore Opening of Woodlands Health has eased load on KTPH, sets standard for future hospitals: Ong Ye Kung Asia KTM plans new passenger rail service in Johor Bahru to manage higher footfall expected from RTS Singapore HSA investigating teen allegedly vaping on MRT train Asia 4 workers dead after falling into manhole in Japan Singapore New vehicular bridge connecting Punggol Central and Seletar Link to open on Aug 3 Singapore New S'pore jobs portal launched for North West District residents looking for work near home The Hostages and Missing Families Forum confirmed the meeting was under way and videos shared online showed Mr Witkoff arriving as families chanted 'Bring them home!' and 'We need your help.' READ MORE HERE Pope tells young Catholics to build a better world PHOTO: EPA Hundreds of thousands of young people filled a vast field on the outskirts of Rome on Aug 2 to see Pope Leo, in the largest event yet of the new Catholic pontiff's tenure, as part of a special weekend aimed at energising Catholic youth. Young people from more than 146 countries, some wearing colourful bandanas to ward off the hot summer sun, were pressed against fences in the Tor Vergata field as Leo toured the crowd in his white popemobile in late afternoon. The pope, smiling broadly, waved, offered blessings and occasionally caught small stuffed animals and national flags thrown by the youth as he passed by. READ MORE HERE Katie Ledecky claims seventh straight 800m free gold ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG Experience proved to be the winning formula at the World Aquatics Championships (WCH) on Aug 2, as American legend Katie Ledecky emerged victorious in the most anticipated race of the meet – the showdown between the veteran and Canadian teenage sensation Summer McIntosh in the 800m freestyle. Ledecky triumphed for a seventh time in a championship record of 8min 5.62sec at the WCH Arena, touching home ahead of Australia's Lani Pallister – who set an Oceania record in 8:05.98 – and McIntosh, who clocked 8:07.29. The 28-year-old said: 'That's pretty incredible, three of us going under 8:10... incredibly fast. They pushed me all the way. I'm just really happy I could put that together. I just told myself to trust my legs, because I've gotten a bit better at kicking. Just running home at the end. READ MORE HERE 'Useless' Hamilton says Ferrari should replace him PHOTO: EPA A despondent Lewis Hamilton said he was 'useless' and suggested Ferrari needed another driver after qualifying 12th for the Hungarian Grand Prix with teammate Charles Leclerc on pole position. The seven-time Formula One world champion, who is 40 and the second oldest driver on the grid, has an unrivalled record in Hungary with eight wins and nine poles but his Aug 2 performance was far from those heights. 'It's me every time. I'm useless, absolutely useless,' he told Sky Sports television, when explaining why he had said 'every time, every time' over the radio after failing to make the cut by 15 thousandths of a second.
Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Straits Times
Amsterdam Pride parade blends celebration and protest in LGBTQ+ show of solidarity
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox AMSTERDAM - Around 80 colorful pride boats sailed through Amsterdam's World Heritage canals on Saturday in the finale of a week-long celebration in the city that stood in stark contrast to recent crackdowns on LGBTQ+ rights in fellow EU member state Hungary. While the flotilla is not political, attendees used the occasion to criticise conflicts or world leaders for their stance on LGBTQ+ rights. Thehany Gilmore, a 43-year-old Dutch-Caribbean dressed in a leather outfit with a whip, said banning of the Budapest pride parade "is a form of oppression." "People everywhere should have their own pride to be able to represent who they are," she said. Palestinian flags were spotted among the crowd of revelers, and Dutch police arrested four activists who had jumped in the water to vandalize the boat in protest over its listings in settlements in Israeli-occupied territories. Others criticized U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration implemented anti-trans policies and cut funding for international aid programs, dealing a setback to HIV prevention efforts in Africa. Some waved a hybrid U.S./Pride flag, while one boat declared itself a 'Trump-Free Pride Boat' with signs reading 'Trans Rights Are Human Rights.' Another featured mock graveyards and the message 'Trump's Actions Kill. Love Saves Lives,' highlighting fears over U.S. AIDS funding cuts. "Amsterdam Pride is... about expressing yourself, showing who you are, being grateful for the freedom that we have in Europe. The U.S. really needs to reinvent itself... be more open about people," 40-year-old Michael Jacobs, who hails from Dutch port city Rotterdam, said. "Don't judge people for who they are. Just love each other." REUTERS
Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Straits Times
US envoy Steve Witkoff meets Israeli hostage families in Tel Aviv
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox US envoy Steve Witkoff (left) arriving on Aug 2 for a closed meeting with the families of Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. TEL AVIV - US envoy Steve Witkoff met anguished relatives of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza on Aug 2, as fears for the captives' survival mounted almost 22 months into the war sparked by Hamas' October 2023 attack. Mr Witkoff was greeted with some applause and pleas for assistance from hundreds of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv, before going into a closed meeting with the families. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum confirmed the meeting was under way and videos shared online showed Mr Witkoff arriving as families chanted 'Bring them home!' and 'We need your help.' The visit came one day after Mr Witkoff visited a US-backed aid station in Gaza, to inspect efforts to get food into the devastated Palestinian territory. Mr Yotam Cohen, brother of 21-year-old hostage Nimrod Cohen, told AFP: 'The war needs to end. The Israeli government will not end it willingly. It has refused to do so. 'The Israeli government must be stopped. For our sakes, for our soldiers' sakes, for our hostages' sakes, for our sons and for the future generations of everybody in the Middle East.' Of the 251 hostages taken during the Hamas attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore $3b money laundering case: MinLaw names 6 law firms taken to task over involvement in property deals Singapore Police reopen access to all areas in Marina Bay after crowd congestion eases at NDP Preview area Singapore Opening of Woodlands Health has eased load on KTPH, sets standard for future hospitals: Ong Ye Kung Asia KTM plans new passenger rail service in Johor Bahru to manage higher footfall expected from RTS Singapore HSA investigating teen allegedly vaping on MRT train Asia 4 workers dead after falling into manhole in Japan Singapore New vehicular bridge connecting Punggol Central and Seletar Link to open on Aug 3 Singapore New S'pore jobs portal launched for North West District residents looking for work near home After the meeting, the Forum released a statement saying that Mr Witkoff had given them a personal commitment that he and US President Donald Trump would work to return the remaining hostages. 'Horrifying acts' Hamas attempted to maintain pressure on the families, releasing a video of one of the hostages – 24-year-old Mr Evyatar David – for the second time in two days, showing him looking emaciated in a tunnel. The video called for a ceasefire and warned that time was running out for the hostages. Mr David's family said their son was the victim of a 'vile' propaganda campaign and accused Hamas of deliberately starving their son. 'The deliberate starvation of our son as part of a propaganda campaign is one of the most horrifying acts the world has seen. He is being starved purely to serve Hamas' propaganda,' the family said. The United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, had been mediating ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel that would allow the hostages to be released and humanitarian aid to flow more freely. But talks broke down in July and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is under increasing domestic pressure to come up with another way to secure the missing hostages, alive and dead. He is also facing international calls to open Gaza's borders to more food aid, after UN and humanitarian agencies warned that more than two million Palestinian civilians are facing starvation. 'Without rest' But Israel's top general warned that there would be no respite in fighting if the hostages were not released. 'I estimate that in the coming days we will know whether we can reach an agreement for the release of our hostages,' armed forces chief of staff Eyal Zamir said in a statement. 'If not, the combat will continue without rest.' Lieutenant-General Zamir denied that there was widespread starvation in Gaza. 'The current campaign of false accusations of intentional starvation is a deliberate, timed, and deceitful attempt to accuse the IDF (Israeli military), a moral army, of war crimes,' he said. Alongside reports from UN-mandated experts warning a 'famine is unfolding' in Gaza, more and more evidence is emerging of serious malnutrition and deaths among the most vulnerable Palestinian civilians. Ms Modallala Dawwas, 33, living in a displacement camp in Gaza City told AFP her daughter Mariam had no known illnesses before the war but had now dropped from 25kg to 10kg and was seriously malnourished. Hamas' 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally based on official figures. Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed at least 60,332 people, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, deemed reliable by the UN. Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli fire killed 34 people in the territory on Aug 2. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said five people were killed in an Israeli strike on an area of central Gaza where Palestinians were awaiting a food distribution by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. He added that the Aug 2 strikes mostly targeted areas near Gaza City in the north and Khan Younis in the south. AFP
