160 Bangladeshis stranded in Libya return on UN flight

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - At least 160 Bangladeshi migrants who were stranded in Libya returned home on Wednesday under a UN arrangement.

A chartered flight arranged by the International Organization for Migration brought them to the international airport in the capital Dhaka, said Sariful Islam, the agency's spokesman.

The migrant workers were stranded in Libya's east, including the second-largest city of Benghazi, due to the pandemic and long-term instability in Libya, according to a statement from the Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry.

They had left in search of employment opportunities but due to the socio-economic situation of the North African nation and the devaluation of the Libyan dinar -- were waiting for a long time to return to their home country.

Upon returning, they were given health checks at the airport. Nine of them were ill.

Also, the body of a Bangladeshi national was brought back in the same flight.

Dhaka with the help of the UN migration agency is gradually bringing back Bangladeshis trapped in the war-torn country.

So far, nine such flights facilitated by the UN have brought back a total of 1,389 migrants stranded in Libya during the pandemic, according to official sources.