Editorial
Sep 26, 2025
More than 18,000 migrants have been intercepted in the Mediterranean and returned to Libya since the beginning of the year. More than 850 were returned a week ago.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced that 858 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya between September 14 and 20, 2025. This brings the total number of people pushed back to the Libyan coast since the beginning of the year to 18,260.
In its weekly update, the IOM reiterates that it does not consider Libya a safe port for migrants due to insecurity and systematic human rights violations. Those intercepted are generally placed in detention centers where they are at risk of ill-treatment, violence, or exploitation.
The Central Mediterranean migration route remains one of the most perilous in the world. Despite the dangers, thousands of migrants attempt the crossing to Europe from the Libyan coast every year, often fleeing conflict, poverty, or political instability in their countries of origin.
Pushback operations in Libya, carried out with the support of the coast guard, regularly draw strong criticism from humanitarian organizations, which advocate for disembarkation mechanisms that respect international protection standards.
These new figures serve as a reminder of the scale of the migration crisis in the Mediterranean, while the European Union struggles to reconcile its border control objectives with the obligation to protect the fundamental rights of migrants.