Libya’s Department for Combating Illegal Migration has detained a number of Sudanese refugees in the Jabal al-Akhdar region, accusing them of begging and violating residency laws. The detainees were transferred to the Qanfouda detention center in Benghazi ahead of their deportation to Sudan.
In a brief statement published on its official Facebook page and reviewed by Darfur24, the department said that 29 Sudanese nationals, including women and children, were transferred to the Qanfouda shelter after being apprehended by security patrols under the Joint Security Room – Jabal al-Akhdar, on charges of begging and violating the country’s residency regulations.
The department stated that the operation is part of a joint security plan to curb begging and prevent the exploitation of women and children in public spaces, in an effort to maintain public order and preserve the country’s civic image.
According to the latest figures from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in September, Libya currently hosts around 357,000 Sudanese refugees, including 193,000 in Kufra, near the Sudanese border, 80,000 in Tripoli, and 10,000 in Benghazi.
