TRIPOLI, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush on Saturday called for international cooperation against illegal migration in the country.
Mangoush made her remarks during a visit to an illegal migrants' reception center in the capital Tripoli, as part of the government's efforts to provide assistance for illegal migrants.
"The Minister said that the illegal migration issue costs Libya great economic and security resources, adding that this issue requires serious international cooperation by the international humanitarian organizations and the neighboring countries in order to control illegal migration and protect the humanitarian and health rights of the migrants," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, becoming a preferred point of departure for illegal migrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.
According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 32,000 illegal migrants have been rescued and returned to Libya in 2021. ■