Several European migrants drown off the coast of Libya: UN | Migration Issues

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The IOM states that ‘long-term loss of life requires a radical change compared with what is happening in Libya and Central Med’.
At least 11 people have drowned when a rubber boat carrying 12 European migrants left Libya, the UN migration agency said.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the incident took place on Sunday near the western town of Zawiya. A Libyan coast guard has saved the lives of 12 migrants, it said on Twitter.
“The ongoing loss of lives requires urgent changes in the situation in Libya and the Central Med,” IOM said.
At least 11 migrants drowned this morning as a rubber boat crashed on the shores of Zawya. #Libya, while 12 survivors were rescued by marines.
The temporary loss of life requires urgent change in the current situation in Libya and Central Med.
– IOM Libya (@IOM_Libya) May 2, 2021
The migrants are expected to be taken to prison.
A tragic accident on Sunday had recently taken place on a migration route to the Central Mediterranean. Last month, at least 130 people are thought to have died after their boat departed from Libya, one of the worst shipwrecks in recent years.
Libya began a riot following the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed former ruler Muammar Gaddafi.
Over the years, Libya has become a major destination for migrants to Europe.
Since 2014, more than 20,000 travelers and refugees have died at sea while trying to reach Europe from Africa.
More than 17,000 of them have lived in the Central Mediterranean, which the UN describes as the world’s most dangerous migration route.
There have been difficulties on crossings and attempts to cross from Libya in recent weeks. About 7,000 people from Europe migrated to Libya this year, according to IOM figures.
Traffickers often transport needy families to work in unarmed boats that settle and set up a dangerous central Mediterranean route.
Thousands of people are on the road. Others were detained and sent back to Libya to be abandoned by the military or detained in illegal prisons.
Human rights groups and UN agencies have condemned the brutal treatment of Libyan people for enduring beatings, rapes and malnutrition.
The European Union is said to have spent more than $ 90 million ($ 109m) on funding and training Libyan coastguards to prevent crossing.
An Associated Press study revealed that the EU sent more than $ 327.9 million ($ 397.9m) to Libya, mainly through UN agencies.
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