Libya has begun deporting around 600 undocumented Egyptians back to their country, French news agency AFP reported on Monday (November 6), citing a government official.

Mohamad Bardaa, the deputy for security affairs at Libya's Directorate of Combatting Illegal Migration (DCIM), said the agency has started "the expulsion of 600 Egyptian nationals who entered illegally" into Libya, adding that they were being driven back to the Egyptian border on buses.

According to AFP, this is perhaps not the first time that Libya has undertaken such an operation. In June, the Libyan authorities broadcast unverified footage of almost 1,000 Egyptians, guarded by soldiers, and forced to reach the border on foot, wrote the French agency.

The news agency Reuters reported in June, 2023 that that group of Egyptians had been deported by the easter government's administration. Libyan security sources told Reuters that they had discovered almost 4,000 Egyptians after raids following shoot-outs with people smugglers in the east of the country, and had deported the Egyptians then.

However, Egyptian sources told Reuters that only 2,200 of the reported 4,000 people found were Egyptians in Libya without papers and were therefore deported. They said the others either had the correct papers or were citizens of other African nations.

Working in agriculture and construction

Many undocumented migrants using the central Mediterranean route hoping to enter the EU transit through Libya, opening well-established smuggling and trafficking networks in the North African country.

Video footage of the most recent deportation operation was broadcast on Africa news' You Tube channel.

Africa News said that many of the Egyptians deported may have been working in sectors like agriculture for years in Libya, others may have traveled more recently in the hope of reaching Europe.

The New Arab added that others tended to work in construction and other sectors, particularly in and around the country's capital Tripoli.

Libya – a popular transit spot to Europe

Until recently, United Nations agencies were responsible for deporting refugees and migrants in Libya. Following a recent deal between Libya's two administrations, the DCIM –affiliated with the internationally-recognized government's interior ministry, based in Tripoli – was put in charge of deportations.

According to the Organization for Migration (IOM), over 700,000 migrants were present on Libyan territory between May and June 2023.

After the fall of Muammar Gadhafi in 2011, Libya became divided between rival authorities based in the east and the west – allowing smuggling networks to operate with more ease. The two administrations still operate in different parts of the country today.

EU steps up anti-migration measures

As migrants increasingly sought Libya as a launchpad for Europe, EU leaders in 2017 agreed to new measures to reduce irregular arrivals along this route. They agreed to boost cooperation with Libya and curb migrant smuggling. The bloc also set up a joint migration task force with the African Union and the UN that same year to facilitate a coordinated response to migration challenges in Africa, in particular Libya.

In 2018, EU leaders called for stronger measures to reduce irregular migration on the Central Mediterranean route. They agreed to bolster efforts of stopping migrant smugglers operating out of Libya and increase support for the Libyan coastguard. They also agreed to assist with the voluntary return to countries of origin of migrants stranded in Libya.

With AFP and Reuters