TRIPOLI, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Friday that 165 illegal migrants have been voluntarily deported from Libya to Nigeria.
"Our team yesterday assisted 165 stranded Nigerian migrants in Libya, mostly women and children, to return to their homeland by a charter flight departing from Sebha airport (southern Libya)," the IOM said in a statement.
The voluntary return program is carried out by the IOM to arrange the return of illegal migrants stranded in Libya to their countries of origin.
Libya has become a preferred departure point for illegal migrants hoping to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe due to insecurity and chaos in the North African country following the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Many migrants are detained in reception centers in Libya despite international calls for closing those centers.
