As part of the Ministry of Interior’s efforts within the Government of National Unity to address the irregular migration file, Misrata International Airport today witnessed a new repatriation operation for irregular migrants. This initiative falls under the Voluntary Return Programme, which aims to provide a humanitarian mechanism for returning migrants residing unlawfully on Libyan territory to their countries of origin, in close coordination with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and relevant embassies.
In a media statement monitored by “Al-Manassa,” Brigadier General Hussein Al-Amin Al-Turki, Head of the Migrant Repatriation Department at Misrata International Airport, confirmed that “a voluntary flight was operated from Misrata International Airport to Accra Airport in the Republic of Ghana, involving the repatriation of 180 irregular migrants of Ghanaian nationality.”
Brigadier General Al-Turki noted that these procedures are being implemented through tight and joint coordination among the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, and the Irregular Migration Department, in addition to the International Organisation for Migration and the Ghanaian Embassy in Libya. This collaboration ensures the smooth execution of the repatriation process and the safe return of migrants to their homelands.
He added that the Ministry is working to implement procedures according to the established administrative sequence, which begins with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then moves to the Ministry of Interior, and from there to the Illegal Migration Department. He stressed that the repatriation is conducted under the direct supervision of all relevant authorities, who were present at the airport to monitor the minutest details.
Regarding future repatriations, Brigadier General Al-Turki affirmed that the Illegal Migrant Repatriation Department continues its work to facilitate similar flights for other nationalities. These flights are conducted based on the migrants’ desire for voluntary return.