65 bodies found in mass grave in Libya desert in alleged smuggling
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The IOM expresses being “profoundly shocked and alarmed” as it noted that the circumstances of the deaths “remain unknown".
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Migrants are rescued from the sea some 30 miles off Libya by the members of the humanitarian ship Geo Barents, Friday, Oct. 6, 2023. (AP)
The UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) confirmed that at least 65 bodies have been found in a mass grave in the desert in southwest Libya this week after being uncovered by Libyan security forces.
In its statement, the IOM expressed being “profoundly shocked and alarmed” as it noted that the circumstances of the deaths “remain unknown, but it is believed that they died in the process of being smuggled through the desert”.
The IOM praised Libyan authorities for having launched an investigation into the deaths, calling on them to “ensure a dignified recovery, identification, and transfer of the remains of the deceased migrants" and notify their families.
An IOM spokesperson said, “Each report of a missing migrant or a loss of life represents a grieving family searching for answers about their loved ones or acknowledging the tragedy of the loss... The cost of inadequate action is evident in the increasing human deaths and the disturbing conditions migrants find themselves in.”
Read next: 61 migrants presumed dead after boat capsizes off Libya coast
According to the statement, the deaths show “the urgent need to address the challenges of irregular migration including through a coordinated response to the smuggling of migrants and trafficking in persons."
“Without regular pathways that provide opportunities for legal migration, such tragedies will continue to be a feature along this route."
NATO war role in Libya catastrophe, mayhem
After the NATO-backed insurgency in Libya that was accompanied by a direct hostile intervention by the alliance, Libya has been a battlefield for global powers, which led to different regions of the country falling under the control of various factions and militants due to the lack of any stable and central governance of the war-torn country.
Among the implications of the West-led war is the North African nation turning into a fertile ground for people smugglers and traffickers, who have long been accused of abuses against migrants.
According to Gregory Shupak of Responsible Statecraft, in a report on September 2023, NATO, particularly Britain, the US, and France, took it upon themselves to overthrow the Libyan government and conducted 9,700 airstrikes, dropping over 7,7000 precision-guided bombs.
The bombing, according to him, killed thousands of Libyans NATO claimed to be saving. In addition, it allowed for tens of thousands of weapons to be trickled down through Libya, the Sahel, and even in Syria, according to Shupak.
This view, according to him, has not been expressed in any mainstream media outlets, even those that mention "war".
Shupak noted that he looked for material in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post throughout six days, finding that 40 of the 67 results he got, which included the words “Libya” and “floods" variations, also included the word "war".
In addition, only 3 of the 40 documents that included the word "war" also contained words such as "NATO" and two articles included the words "NATO" but not "war" and called NATO's role an "intervention", something he believes does not give readers real insight into NATO's responsibility in Libya's instability.
