Libya

10/12/2025 — 10/03/2026 

• 23 February 2026: Seven migrant bodies, including three children, were found on a beach in western Libya near Tripoli. NGOs believe they may be victims of shipwrecks caused by Storm Harry, a violent January storm that likelycaused hundreds of deaths along the central Mediterranean route.  
• On the 17th of February 2026, OHCHR and UNSMIL published a new report on Libya, “Business as Usual: Human Rights Violations and Abuses against Migrants, Asylum Seekers and Refugees.” The report outlines ongoing human rightsviolations against people on the move in Libya and includes some observations and recommendations on EU cooperation on migration governance with Libya. 
• The Committee for Justice (CFJ) reported a fatal maritime incident off the coast of Zuwara, Libya, on the 17^th of February 2026, resulting in the death or disappearance of at least 53 migrants and refugees of various African nationalities, including two infants. The incident occurred when an inflatable vessel carrying 55 individuals capsized at sea; only two survivors were subsequently rescued. According to CFJ, the boat departed from the Zawiya area (west of Tripoli) on the evening of 5 February 2026. This event exemplifies the ongoing dangers associated with migration along the Central Mediterranean route. 
• In January 2026, Libyan authorities discovered a mass grave containing the bodies of 21 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa on a farm near Ajdabiya in eastern Libya. A Libyan national was arrested on suspicion of killing the migrants and detaining others, some of whom were rescued during a raid.