TRIPOLI, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Libyan Coast Guard rescued 88 illegal immigrants off the western coast, the country's anti-illegal immigration department said Monday.
The 88 illegal immigrants of different Arab and African nationalities were rescued "on their way to the European Continent illegally," the department said in a statement, adding humanitarian assistance were provided for them.
Following the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, Libya has been plagued by a state of insecurity and chaos that prompts thousands of illegal immigrants to attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea toward Europe.
According to the International Organization for Migration, thousands of illegal migrants have been rescued and returned to Libya in 2020.
Many illegal immigrants, who were either rescued at sea or arrested by authorities, have remained detained in overcrowded centers in Libya despite repeated international calls to close these centers. Enditem
