TRIPOLI, 5 March, 2021, (TON): The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Thursday said it has sent 145 illegal migrants voluntarily from Libya to their country Mali. 

"Amid COVID-19, stranded migrants in Libya continued to register for IOM's Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) program. This week, 72 women and 73 men from Mali returned home through a VHR charter flight from Tripoli," the UN agency said in a statement. 

"Supported by an IOM medical escort, there were nine migrants with medical conditions on board. All migrants were tested for COVID-19 before departure. This flight was made possible with the support of the European Union Trust Fund," it said. 

The VHR program was launched in 2016 as part of the EU-IOM Joint Initiative on Migrant Protection and Reintegration with funding from the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF) in Libya and other countries in Africa. With a high demand among migrants to return home, IOM scaled up its efforts to assist migrants including the expansion of reception centers, reintegration activities and community-based support to returnees and victims of trafficking. 

Libya is one of the most important starting points for African migrants to Europe. Libya has suffered years of security deterioration amid sharp political divisions, an armed struggle for power and a war on terrorism. The state has lost its ability to effectively control its borders which led to the availability of various paths for African migrants to enter Libyan territory.