28 migrants found buried in Libya desert mass grave

Monday, February 10, 2025 - The bodies of at least 28 migrants have been recovered from a mass grave in a desert in south-east Libya.

The grave was discovered north of Kufra, just days after another mass grave with 19 bodies was found on a farm in the same city.

The country's attorney general said officials found the latest grave following a raid on a human trafficking site, where authorities freed 76 migrants who had been detained and tortured, the office of the attorney general posted on Facebook.

One Libyan and two foreigners have been arrested, it added.

"There was a gang whose members deliberately deprived illegal migrants of their freedom, tortured them, and subjected them to cruel, humiliating, and inhumane treatment," the statement said.

The search in Kufra, more than 1,700 kilometres (1,056 miles) from Libya's capital Tripoli is continuing.

The attorney general says the bodies recovered have been taken for autopsy, with investigators suspecting links to smuggling networks.

Authorities are documenting the testimonies of survivors.

Last year, a mass grave containing the bodies of at least 65 migrants was found in the south-west of Libya. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) described it as "deeply shocking" at the time.