These migrants, mostly coming from Nigeria, Senegal and Gambia, are stopped in Libya and held for ransom, forced labor or sexual exploitation. Othman Belbeisi, the head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) told Reuters that the migrants are traded for between $200 and 500$ dollars and are typically kept for two to three months. "Migrants are being sold in the market as a commodity," Belbeisi said. "Selling human beings is becoming a trend among smugglers as the smuggling networks in Libya are becoming stronger and stronger" The IOM interviewed West African migrants who had been exploited in Libya on their attempted journey to Europe. These survivors said that armed gangs torture migrants and make them call their families to ask for a ransom. If there is no ransom money provided by the family, the migrants are then left to starve to death. They are buried without being identified, which leaves their families wondering where whey are. Belbeisi said that in regards to migrant women in Libya the IOM "heard a lot about bad treatment, rape and being forced into prostiution." The Libyan civil war, which began in 2014, has meant that authorities often do not have enough resources to fight criminal gangs exploiting migrants. Libya is the most frequented transit country for migrants in Africa. Thousands of migrants embark off of the shores of the Libya to reach Europe but many of them do not make the journey. In the first three months of 2017, more than 26,886 migrants have arrived in Italy from Libya, 7,000 more than in the same period last year.  More than 600 are known to have died at sea this year. Wesley Dockery (with Reuters, AFP)