News
Nearly 4,000 migrants reportedly rounded up in two-day Tobruk crackdown
Nearly 4,000 migrants were reportedly rounded up in and around Tobruk in eastern Libya within two days as Libyan security forces intensified a campaign targeting people described by authorities as undocumented migrants.
The developments were reported in a series of posts by Jihed (@brirmijihed), a hacktivist and PhD researcher focusing on the bioprotection of plants. The posts described the campaign as a large-scale operation involving arrests on land and interceptions at sea.
According to Jihed, the spokesperson for the Al-Batnan Security Directorate, Lt. Issa Al-Jarari, confirmed that nearly 4,000 migrants had been detained over two days, loaded onto trucks and removed from Tobruk.
The claims come amid a major security operation in the Al-Batnan district. Independent reporting on September 25 confirmed that more than 2,000 migrants had been apprehended in a matter of hours during an operation involving police, military police and the 519th Infantry Battalion. (Agenzia Nova)
The Al-Batnan Security Directorate said those detained were people of different nationalities whom authorities considered to be residing in Libya irregularly. They were reportedly handed over to the Authority for Combating Illegal Migration for administrative procedures and transfer out of Tobruk. The Libyan Red Crescent provided medical and humanitarian assistance during the operation. (Agenzia Nova)
Jihed said the first day of the campaign alone saw around 2,000 people rounded up, describing the operation as a mass-arrest campaign feeding into Libya’s system of detention and deportation.
Sea interceptions
The crackdown has also coincided with interceptions of migrant boats attempting to leave the Tobruk area.
In another post, Jihed reported that on 24 September, the Coastal Security branch in Tobruk intercepted a boat carrying 38 Sudanese nationals off Ain al-Ghazala. The migrants were subsequently taken ashore.
He also reported that on 23 September, the Al-Saiqa Special Forces intercepted a boat carrying 30 people approximately four nautical miles off Tobruk.
The incidents highlight the dual approach being used in eastern Libya, with security forces targeting migrants both on land and at sea.
Tobruk has become an increasingly important departure point for the maritime route towards Crete. Recent reporting said more than 2,000 migrants were detained during the latest Al-Batnan operation as pressure increased along the Tobruk-Crete route. (Agenzia Nova)
Concerns over detention and deportation
The latest arrests follow a series of migrant removals from eastern Libya. On September 19, the Al-Batnan branch of the Directorate for Combating Illegal Migration said it had processed 202 migrants in two groups, with one group taken through the Emsaed border crossing with Egypt and another transferred to the Ganfouda detention and deportation centre near Benghazi. (LibyaReview)
Human rights organisations have previously raised concerns about large-scale arrests and removals in eastern Libya, particularly involving Sudanese nationals, and have called for individual screening and respect for the principle of non-refoulement before anyone is returned to a country where they may face persecution or serious harm. (Agenzia Nova)
While Libyan authorities have presented the operations as security and immigration-enforcement measures, Jihed characterised the campaign in strongly critical terms, alleging that the mass arrests amounted to organised persecution of migrants.
The reported scale of the operation, and the subsequent transfer of detainees into Libya’s detention system, is likely to intensify scrutiny of the treatment of migrants and refugees in eastern Libya.
Le projet de budget de l’État norvégien pour 2027 ne prévoit pas d’affecter 1 % du revenu national brut du pays à l’aide internationale, malgré la hausse des recettes et des besoins humanitaires sans précédent, a déclaré le Conseil norvégien pour les réfugiés (NRC).
Le secrétaire général du NRC, Jan Egeland, a qualifié cette proposition de « surprenante et décevante », avertissant qu’elle envoie un mauvais signal alors que d’autres grands donateurs réduisent leur aide.
Selon M. Egeland, les réductions des financements humanitaires à l’échelle mondiale privent des millions de personnes déplacées par les conflits d’un abri adéquat, tandis que l’aide alimentaire et l’accès à l’éducation sont réduits.
La Norvège a maintenu ses contributions à l’aide au cours des deux dernières années, alors que d’autres grands donateurs annonçaient des coupes, a-t-il indiqué. Compte tenu de la richesse croissante du pays et de sa tradition humanitaire, la Norvège devrait continuer à soutenir les personnes dans le besoin, a ajouté M. Egeland.
Le NRC a appelé le Parlement norvégien à réviser le budget afin de porter les dépenses d’aide à 1 % du revenu national brut et de donner la priorité à l’aide d’urgence.
The Norwegian government’s proposed 2027 state budget does not allocate 1% of the country’s gross national income to international aid, despite rising revenues and record humanitarian needs, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said.
NRC Secretary General Jan Egeland called the proposal “surprising and disappointing,” warning that it sends the wrong signal as other major donors cut aid.
Egeland said global reductions in humanitarian funding were leaving millions of people displaced by conflict without adequate shelter, while food assistance and access to education were being reduced.
Norway had maintained its aid contributions over the past two years as other major donors announced cuts, he said. Given the country’s growing wealth and humanitarian tradition, Norway should continue supporting people in need, Egeland added.
The NRC urged Norway’s parliament to revise the budget to bring aid spending up to 1% of gross national income and prioritise emergency assistance.
Italian authorities have detained the search-and-rescue vessel *Sea Punk I* for 15 days and imposed a €7,500 fine following the rescue of 20 people in international waters.
The rescue took place on Thursday, 10 September 2026, near the Bouri oil platform. The vessel’s crew said the operation was conducted in coordination with Italian authorities and in line with applicable conventions and international regulations.
Authorities cited the so-called Piantedosi Decree and accused the captain of failing to follow instructions from the so-called Libyan Coast Guard. The *Sea Punk I* is an alliance partner of the Justice Fleet, a coalition of civil search-and-rescue organisations and supporters.
The Justice Fleet said the detention brings the total number of days its vessels have been blocked by Italian authorities to more than 310 since the alliance was founded in November 2025. The *Sea Punk I* is the 11th Justice Fleet vessel to be detained.
Civil search-and-rescue organisations have documented almost 80 incidents of extreme violence by Libyan militias since 2016, most attributed to the so-called Libyan Coast Guard, according to the Justice Fleet. The group also says more than 27,000 people fleeing Libya were forcibly returned there last year, in violation of international law. It said refugees and migrants in the country face rising violence and death threats.
“While extreme violence against people on the move is currently unfolding in Libya, the Italian authorities want to force us to cooperate with the so-called Libyan Coast Guard. Not with us!” said Justice Fleet spokesperson Giulia Messmer, calling for an end to European cooperation with the force.
The Justice Fleet was founded in November 2025 by 13 search-and-rescue organisations, with support from civil society groups. It says its aims include challenging the detention of rescue vessels in Italy and opposing the outsourcing of migration control to Libyan actors.
Le budget d’aide proposé par la Norvège n’atteint pas l’objectif de 1 %, selon le NRC
Norway’s proposed aid budget falls short of 1% target, NRC says
Global powers fuel war as civilians die under drones, barrel bombs
Les autorités italiennes immobilisent un navire de sauvetage après avoir secouru 20 personnes
Italian authorities detain rescue vessel after saving 20 lives
-
Features2 weeks agoRetour volontaire assisté, assistance post-arrivée et réintégration : le rôle de l’OIM expliqué
-
News2 weeks agoYémen :21 573 ménages déplacés dans sept gouvernorats
-
Features2 weeks agoL’OIM explique son travail dans les pays qui accueillent des ressortissants de pays tiers
-
News2 weeks agoEbola : Amy Pope appelle à un soutien urgent alors que la RDC fait face à la plus grande épidémie
-
Features2 weeks agoIOM explains work in countries receiving third-country nationals
-
Features2 weeks agoL’OIM aide plus de 81 000 migrants à retourner dans leur pays depuis 115 pays
-
Features2 weeks agoAssisted Voluntary Return, Post-Arrival Assistance, and Reintegration: IOM’s Role Explained
-
News2 weeks agoUn tribunal de Naples annule la détention de 45 jours du Sea-Watch 5