TRIPOLI, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- A total of 124 illegal immigrants from Ivory Coast were voluntarily deported on Wednesday from the Libyan capital Tripoli, according to a local official.
"The child Mamani returned to her home in Ivory Coast today, accompanied by 123 other illegal immigrants from Ivory Coast," Hosni Abu-Ayana, head of the media office of Tripoli's Illegal Immigration Department, told Xinhua on Wednesday.
"The migrants returned within the humanitarian voluntary program by the International Organization for Migration in cooperation with the Libyan authorities," Abu-Ayana added.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Libyan authorities launched a humanitarian repatriation program to repatriate migrants detained in Libyan shelters in their countries of origin.
Libya is a major departure point for illegal migrants wanting to cross the Mediterranean towards European shores, due to the insecurity and chaos in the North African nation.