Libya - February 2025

In early February, Libyan security forces uncovered two mass graves in the southeastern desert, believed to contain the remains of migrants. The first site was found in Jikharra, and the second in the Al-Kufra district. By 19 February, a total of 93 bodies had been exhumed from both locations, according to the United Nations (UN). The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that the victims' nationalities and causes of death remain unknown, though some showed signs of gunshot wounds. The discovery of the graves came in connection to a raid on suspected human trafficking sites, where 76 migrants were freed and three suspects arrested. In 2024, the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project recorded 965 deaths and disappearances of migrants in Libya.

Sources: International Organisation for Migration, United Nations, Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project