In the first seven months of the year, the Libyan Coast Guard and other authorities captured more than 15,000 migrants trying to cross international waters and reach Europe. A New Yorker investigation found that only about 6,000 of the migrants who were captured were being held in migrant detention facilities.
The International Organization for Migration's chief of mission in Libya told the New Yorker that the numbers simply don't add up. The New Yorker reported that he believes migrants are disappearing within unofficial detention facilities run by militias and traffickers, which the United Nations has accused the Libyan Coast Guard of collaborating with.
In addition to the country's fifteen recognized detention centers, the number of unofficial sites has "mroomed" in recent years, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The New Yorker reported that international aid organizations have raised concerns about the conditions in official and unofficial migrant detention centers, with many survivors and escapees saying they were sexually abused, extorted, and tortured by guards.
The Migration Policy Institute says that Libya has hardened its stance toward newcomers and has financially supported the Libyan Coast Guard. Thousands of migrants make the perilous journey for a variety of reasons, including forced displacement, economic opportunities, and fleeing war and persecution, according to Human Rights Watch.
Osman, a Sudanese immigrant who fled conflict in Sudan and was later held in Libya's largest detention center, told the organization how guards subjected him to torture. They would come drunk and harass people.
The dire conditions within the centers have been worsened by the mass arrests conducted by Libyan authorities. The International Rescue Committee, which has sent staff and volunteers to the centers, has reported extreme malnourishment and starvation, overcrowding, and a lack of basic amenities like toilets, sleeping mats, and clean water.
According to the New Yorker, Libyan law allows these migrants to be held indefinitely without access to a lawyer.
