Authorities in eastern Libya deported 602 Chadian migrants back to their home country on Thursday (November 12). The region's Anti-Illegal Migration Agency announced on its official social media page as security forces continue a sustained campaign targeting people who are in the country irregularly.

"The operation included migrants with medical conditions, others with security restrictions, as well as those who were caught during security campaigns, and those who attempted to enter Libyan territory illegally," the agency said.

Photos show pick up trucks loaded with people, mostly male, at a remote desert location being sent back to Chad.

Speaking to the Reuters news agency, spokesperson Abdulmenam al-Ghomati said that the people were transported to the Chadian border in an operation lasting about a day and a half.

Photos on the Anti-Illegal Migration Agency's Facebook page show daily field campaigns, "targeting houses and sites rented in a random and illegal manner", which are suspected to be used to shelter immigrants.

Following the NATO-backed uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has remained divided between rival authorities in the east and west. The country is both a destination for migrant workers from neighboring African countries and a transit point for people seeking to reach Europe across the Mediterranean.

The deportations come amid expanding European Union migration cooperation with eastern Libya. In October, the EU approved an additional 25 million euros to extend border-management, search-and-rescue and anti-smuggling activities to the region.

The EU and its member states have also supported Libyan coastguard operations, including training and equipment. People intercepted at sea are returned to Libya, where UN bodies and rights organizations have documented serious abuses against migrants and refugees.

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Highest number of migrants

Earlier this year, the International Organization for Migration identified a total of 939,638 migrants present in Libya across the country’s 100 municipalities based on data at the end of 2025. The unofficial number is believed to be greater due to both unreported instances and also due to the fact of a rival government effectively running the east of the country, where it is difficult to get reliable numbers and statistics.

The largest groups of migrants in Libya came originally from Sudan, Niger, Egypt, Chad, and Nigeria.

The majority of them are found to be residing in urban settings, including the major cities of Tripoli, Benghazi, and Misrata. 

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