Libyan authorities deported 173 illegal migrants to Ivory Coast on Tuesday, who had arrived in the country illegally in recent months.
The migrants were deported from Mitiga international airport in Tripoli, as part of a deportation programme which Libyan authorities refer to as “voluntary return”, which puts migrants on a one-way flight back to their home countries.
The program has so far deported almost 1,000 illegal migrants since last December, however thousands More are still making the journey to European shores via the Mediterranean.
Rescuers picked up about 3,300 migrants from rubber boats off the coast of Libya on Sunday.
