Four mass graves found in Libya in two years as country’s notoriety for inexplicable deaths soars

Libya, a North African country is becoming disturbingly notorious for mass death of migrants who are most often black Africans.

 Within a space of two years, four mass graves with lifeless bodies of migrants have been found in different parts of the country.

In February 2025, two mass graves containing the bodies of dozens of migrants, some with gunshot wounds were found in different parts of the country.

Nineteen bodies were discovered in Jakharrah (around 400 km south of Benghazi), while at least 30 more were found in a mass grave in the Alkufra desert in the southeast. It is believed the second grave may contain as many as 70 bodies.

The circumstance of their death and nationalities remains unknown. Their graves were both discovered following a police raid, during which hundreds of migrants were rescued from traffickers.

“The loss of these lives is yet another tragic reminder of the dangers faced by migrants embarking on perilous journeys,” said Nicoletta Giordano, IOM Libya Chief of Mission. “Far too many migrants along these journeys endure severe exploitation, violence and abuse, underscoring the need to prioritize human rights and protect those at risk.”

In March 2024 bodies of 65 migrants were found in a mass grave in the southwest of the country.

According to IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, out of the 965 recorded deaths and disappearances in Libya in 2024, more than 22 per cent occurred on land routes. This highlights the often-overlooked risks migrants face on land routes, where fatalities frequently go underreported. Strengthening data collection, search and rescue efforts, and migrant protection mechanisms along these routes is crucial to preventing further loss of life.

Just last week, a mass grave of 21 refugees fleeing from Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia have been discovered in Ajdabia, Libya.

David Yambio,  cofounder and spokesperson of

@refugeesinlibya announced this in a post  on the group’s platform.

The post reads: “Mass grave of refugees discovered in Ajdabia, Libya

Dear “civilised” Europe, when you exert exorbitant pressure on states like Libya to enforce your so-called migration “management” policies, the consequences are deadly, inhumane, unacceptable, and criminal.

“This morning, news from Ajdabia in eastern Libya, supported by visual evidence, reported the discovery of a mass grave in which at least 21 people were killed. They were vulnerable refugees fleeing from Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia. Your policies of blocking safe pathways also killed them.”

Yambio, in a follow –up post with a picture showing lifeless bodies, said “An image from the mass grave of 21 people in Ajdabiya. Their crime was crossing something called a border in pursuit of a dignified life. In the absence of safe and legal pathways, they were captured and enslaved by human traffickers who would later kill them en masse. The cycle has always been completed when Europe arms, funds, and legitimises those same actors who now operate as state authorities in Libya.”