TRIPOLI, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Up to 82 immigrants from Burkina Faso were deported on Wednesday from Libya to their home country, Libyan authorities said on Thursday.
"On Wednesday morning, anti-illegal immigration department of Tripoli deported 82 illegal immigrants from the Republic of Burkina Faso voluntarily," said the official statement.
The department also said that the immigrants returned home with the assistance of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Dozens of African migrants have been deported voluntarily from Libya with the assistance of IOM last week.
Libya is a preferred point of departure for immigrants intending to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe, due to the insecurity and chaos in the country following the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime.
The IOM estimates that thousands of migrants have already reached European shores in 2017 so far, while many others have drowned on the way.
Migrants who were rescued offshore by Libyan coastguards are detained in reception centers with poor conditions.
