First Independent Mena Newspaper
Tunisia has repatriated more than 4,000 irregular migrants to their countries of origin since July 2025 as part of a large-scale operation targeting migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. The Tunisian news agency (TAP) quoted National Guard spokesperson Houcemeddine Jbabli as saying that the operation was coordinated by the Ministry of the Interior and the Tunisian Red […]
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says 741 migrants were returned to Libya between May 10 and 16 after being intercepted at sea, while attempting to cross to Europe. According to the IOM, the migrants were disembarked in several Libyan coastal cities, but details about their nationalities and ages were not disclosed. The Agency noted […]
The Libyan Red Crescent has recovered two bodies following the capsizing of a migrant boat off eastern Libya. In a statement issued on Sunday, 1 March 2026, the organisation confirmed that the vessel overturned in the area between Al-Tamimi and Umm Al-Razm, near Derna. Emergency teams from the Umm Al-Razm branch, supported by colleagues from […]
At least 53 people, including two babies, are dead or missing after an inflatable migrant boat sank off the Libyan coast, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on Monday. The vessel, carrying 55 African migrants, departed from the western Libyan town of Zawiya shortly before midnight on Thursday and began taking on water about […]
Libya’s Interior Ministry confirmed, on January 1, the deportation of a group of Bangladeshi nationals through Mitiga International Airport, advancing its national program to repatriate individuals residing in the country without legal status. The ministry said the operation followed the completion of legal procedures and close coordination with relevant authorities. Officials framed the initiative as […]
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 […]