The United Nations has urged both the UN-backed government and a rival administration in Libya to carry out urgent reforms to protect migrants and refugees, warning that widespread abuses have become entrenched. In a joint report released Tuesday by the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) and the UN Support Mission in Libya, the UN called for an immediate moratorium on the interception and forced return of migrant boats to Libya until basic human rights safeguards are in place.
The report documents systematic violations against migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, including murder, torture, sexual and gender-based violence, forced labor, slavery, trafficking and enforced disappearances. It says many victims are abducted or extorted by trafficking networks that often operate with the involvement or acquiescence of armed groups and state-linked actors. According to the findings, abuses occur along the entire migration route from illegal and dangerous interceptions at sea to arbitrary detention in official and unofficial facilities. The UN identified around 40 detention sites across the country and called for the immediate release of all people held without due process.
By late 2025, the report estimates nearly 5,000 migrants were being held in “official” detention centers, though humanitarian organizations believe the true number is significantly higher due to unregistered and informal sites. Libya has become a major transit hub for migrants crossing the Mediterranean since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, as years of conflict and political division weakened state institutions. The UN said this instability has allowed an “exploitative model” to flourish, turning abuse of migrants into a “brutal and normalized reality.” The report is based on interviews with nearly 100 migrants, asylum seekers and refugees from 16 countries across Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, alongside satellite imagery, medical records and corroborated NGO accounts.
