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Reuters is reporting that the state news agency Lana is stating that Libya is deporting hundreds of African immigrants to Niger. In an effort to tackle an influx of refugees and Islamist militants, hundreds of Africans have been deported. The author writes:
Weak border controls and a small army lacking training and equipment have turned Libya into a weapons smuggling route for al Qaeda in sub-Saharan countries and a transit route for Islamist fighters heading to Syria’s civil war.
People traffickers also use the remote desert borders with Egypt, Sudan, Niger and Chad to smuggle refugees into Libya from where many try to reach Europe by boat.
In total 4,875 illegal immigrants of various nationalities were being held in detention centers, the agency said.
During Libya’s uprising, a number of sub-Saharan African migrants were accused of working as mercenaries for Gaddafi. In the absence of any formal justice system, with militia groups in control of large areas of the country, and with anti-African sentiment pervasive in Libya, many were beaten and detained.
Read more at Reuters.
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