This archive report was first published on 18 August 2019.
On August 17, 2019, the Libyan navy rescued 57 migrants, including 9 children, from a wooden boat approximately 40 nautical miles off the coast of Zuwara, west of Tripoli.
The migrants were from Ethiopia and Egypt, according to General Ayoub Kacem, a navy spokesman.
Just days earlier, on August 13, 2019, Libyan navy patrols had rescued 278 migrants on four inflatable boats northwest and northeast of Tripoli.
The operations took place off the coasts of Khoms and Sabratha, cities located 120 kilometres east and 70 kilometres west of Tripoli, respectively.
Among the rescued migrants were 128 Sudanese, as well as individuals from Chad, Egypt, Niger, Benin, and Eritrea, including 35 women and 11 children.
One body was also recovered by the coastguard during the rescue efforts.
Libya has long been a major transit route for migrants, particularly from sub-Saharan Africa, due to the country's instability since the 2011 uprising that killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi.
After being rescued at sea, migrants are typically met by humanitarian agencies that provide medical care and food before being taken into the charge of the Libyan government's immigration authorities.
