First Independent Mena Newspaper
At least 18 migrants have died and 18 others remain missing after a boat capsized off the western Libyan city of Zawiya early Tuesday morning, according to Libya’s Ambulance and Emergency Service. Ninety-two people were rescued from the sinking vessel, while among the dead were four Egyptians and two Somalis. Search and rescue operations are […]
Tunisia’s suspension of the country’s leading migrant rights group has sent shockwaves through civil society, deepening fears about the country’s slide into authoritarianism while migrants bear the brunt of the crackdown. The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES), long a lifeline for migrants and refugees, was ordered to halt operations for a month […]
Authorities in eastern Libya have announced over the weekend that they have deported 700 Sudanese migrants back to their conflict-ridden homeland as part of a sweeping campaign against illegal migration and human trafficking. The deportees, some of whom were reported to have infectious diseases or criminal records, were sent by land to Sudan. This crackdown, […]
Mauritania has experienced heightened tensions after a group of migrants facing deportation launched an attack on a Police station in Gogui, a border area between Mauritania and Mali. Over the week-end, the migrants threw stones at the Police post before setting it on fire. This violent incident is part of a broader crackdown on irregular […]
On Wednesday, 5th March 2025, Libyan Interior Minister Emad al-Tarabelsi called on the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to help the country and facilitate the voluntary departure of migrants from Libya to their home countries. This came during a meeting the Libyan official held Wednesday with Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, the UN Secretary-General’s Special […]
A group of 159 illegal migrants has been voluntarily repatriated from Libya to Nigeria, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The migrants returned safely from Benghazi to Lagos under the IOM’s Voluntary Humanitarian Return and Reintegration (VHR) programme, which is supported by EU funding. The IOM expressed gratitude to its donors, including the […]
David Yambio, an Italy-based human rights activist and co-founder of Refugees in Libya, revealed on February 11 that his phone was targeted by spyware. Yambio’s organization works with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to collect evidence of abuse suffered by migrants in Libyan detention Centres. Yambio, who was once a detainee at the Mitiga prison […]
Recent arrests in Libya have brought global attention to the ongoing human rights abuses faced by refugees and migrants trying to escape conflict and trafficking. A video released on 6 January 2025, depicting the brutal treatment of 20-year-old Naima Jamal, an Ethiopian migrant, has sparked outrage and renewed calls for accountability. Jamal, who fled the […]
The humanitarian rescue ship Ocean Viking, operated by SOS Méditerranée, rescued 48 migrants on November 26 from a distressed boat off the Libyan coast. The majority of those saved were minors, a fact underscoring the vulnerability of the group. The rescue operation was initiated following a VHF radio alert from a NATO surveillance plane, which […]
Algerian social media is awash with videos showing migrants making the risky Mediterranean crossing to escape misery in their homeland, as the oil and gas-rich country becomes the new launchpad for migrants wishing to reach Europe. As the economic outlook worsens in Algeria, Spanish authorities reported a surge in arrivals from Algeria since 2021. Observers […]