The violent clashes between Libyan rebel groups in Sabratha have left thousands of migrants blocked in camps there.
Thousands of migrants are stuck in Sabratha after being caught up in fighting between opposing militias in the coastal city in northwestern Libya, according to Saleh Graisia, spokesman for the Anti-ISIS Operation Room, one of the factions that claims to have taken control of the city. For a long time. Sabratha had been the main point of departure for migrant boats heading to Europe. For the last two weeks, the city has been caught up in heavy fighting.
Hundreds of people have been killed in the clashes, many people have been displaced and archaeological sites damaged. Over 4,000 migrants, including pregnant women and children, have been found in various parts of the city over the last two days, Graisia said. The Anti-ISIS Operation Room spokesman also accused the defeated rebels of gathering migrants to send to Europe by boat.
On October 7, more than 3,000 people of different nationalities were taken by the illegal immigration control agency in the region from the "Anas Aldabashi battalion" stores. Some claim there were tens of thousands more. Some immigrant families paid 10,000 euros for their transfer to Europe.
"Healing its wounds"
Essam Karrar, the head of the Sabratha Civil Society Federation, said 1,700 migrants were found at the western edge of Sabratha, which used to be under control of the al-Ammu militia, while the rest were scattered elsewhere. He said al-Ammu intended to deport the migrants. The city is now "healing its wounds" after the fighting shattered families and brothers raised guns against each other. "We, the people in Sabratha, were merely tools in the hands of Europeans," he said.
Author: Zuhair Abusrewil