The Libyan Prosecutor’s Office has instructed security authorities to search for the criminal network involved in illegal migrant smuggling following a tragedy near the coast of Tobruk that resulted in the deaths of 38 people.
The victims, who were citizens of Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia, died after a boat sank in the Mediterranean Sea.
According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the migrants were taken out to sea in an old and unseaworthy boat, which failed to reach its destination and subsequently sank.
Earlier, another group of migrants who had spent three days at sea off the coast of Tobruk, including 116 people on three boats, was rescued.
An investigation into the incident has been launched by the Tobruk Prosecutor’s Office. Individuals involved in organizing the human trafficking operation have been identified, and 300,000 dinars in незаконный funds were discovered.
The investigation also reportedly identified those responsible for illegal financial flows, and instructions have been issued for the detention of the network’s members.
In recent days, numerous migrant boats have been observed departing from the Tobruk coast. Some of them have sunk, while others were intercepted before leaving Libyan territorial waters.
According to the latest data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 180 people have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean in recent days. The total number of casualties in 2026 is approaching 1,000.
