One hundred and seventy six Bangladeshi nationals returned home from Libya on Thursday under a voluntary repatriation programme facilitated by the government and supported by the International Organization for Migration.
They were flown to Dhaka in the morning on a special flight operated by Buraq Air from Tripoli and surrounding areas, where they had been staying irregularly, said a press release.
The ministry of foreign affairs, the ministry of expatriates鈥� welfare and overseas employment, and the embassy of Bangladesh in Tripoli coordinated the repatriation process in collaboration with the IOM.
Officials said that most of the returnees had entered Libya through irregular channels under the influence of human traffickers, with the intention of attempting perilous sea crossings to Europe. Many of them had suffered abduction and abuse during their stay in Libya.
At Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, officials from the ministry of foreign affairs, relevant agencies, and the IOM received the returnees.
On the occasion, the foreign ministry urged them to share their harrowing experiences with others to help raise public awareness against irregular migration.
The International Organization for Migration provided each returnee with travel allowances, food supplies, primary healthcare support, and, where necessary, temporary accommodation.
The ministry of foreign affairs reaffirmed that it continued to work closely with the Bangladesh embassy in Libya, the ministry of expatriates鈥� welfare and overseas employment, and the IOM to ensure the safe repatriation of Bangladeshi citizens detained in various Libyan detention centres.