IOM urges ‘dignified recovery’ and identification of dozens of bodies discovered in two mass graves in Libya.
Gunshot wounds have been discovered on some of the bodies of migrants and refugees recently discovered in mass graves in Libya, the United Nations says.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) expressed “shock and concern” on Monday over the discovery of the two mass graves in the North African country, saying that they were found by authorities following a police raid which saw hundreds rescued from people traffickers.
According to the IOM, 19 bodies were discovered in Jakharrah, located around 250 miles (400km) south of Benghazi. At least 30 more were found in a mass grave in the desert region of southeastern Kufra, which could contain as many as 70 bodies.
While gunshot wounds were discovered on some bodies, confirming previous reports from Al-Abreen, a charity helping refugees in the country, the exact circumstances of the deaths were unknown, said the UN agency.
“Far too many migrants along these journeys endure severe exploitation, violence and abuse, underscoring the need to prioritise human rights and protect those at risk,” Nicoletta Giordano, the IOM’s chief of mission for Libya, said in a statement.
Last year, authorities unearthed the bodies of at least 65 migrants in the Shuayrif region, south of the capital Tripoli.
Human traffickers have benefitted from more than a decade of instability, smuggling migrants and refugees across the country’s borders with six nations – Chad, Niger, Sudan, Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia.
Rights groups and UN agencies have for years documented systematic abuse of migrants in Libya.
On Monday, the IOM urged the Libyan authorities to ensure “a dignified recovery, identification, and transfer of the remains of the deceased migrants while notifying and assisting their families”.
According to the agency, more than 22 percent of the 965 recorded deaths and disappearances of migrants and refugees in Libya last year occurred on land routes.
“This highlights the often-overlooked risks migrants face on land routes, where fatalities frequently go underreported,” the IOM said.
Libya has seen more than a decade of instability after plunging into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
The political turmoil has given rise to rival governments and competing armed groups, which have been accused of violations against migrants.
“Migrants and asylum seekers, including children, arbitrarily detained in facilities controlled by armed groups affiliated with both governments or smugglers and traffickers, suffered inhumane conditions, torture, forced labor, and sexual assault,” Human Rights Watch said in a recent report on Libya.