TRIPOLI, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Sunday that more than 1,000 illegal migrants were returned to Libya.
"Record number in returns of refugees and migrants to Libya today. Over 1,000 persons were returned in two operations in Zawiya and three others in Tripoli," the UNHCR tweeted earlier Sunday.
"UNHCR & IRC have provided medical aid, food and water to all survivors before being taken to detention by the authorities," the UNHCR said. The IRC is short for the International Rescue Committee, a non-profit organization in the Libyan capital Tripoli.
Libya has been plagued by a state of insecurity and chaos since the fall of its leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making it a preferred point of departure for illegal migrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.
Rescued migrants end up in over-crowded reception centers across Libya amid repeated international calls to close them.
