At least 21 bodies of migrants have been found in a mass grave in eastern Libya, where up to 10 survivors showed signs of torture before they were freed, two security sources told Reuters on Thursday.
Mass grave in eastern Libya
The two sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that security authorities raided a farm near the city of Ajdabiya after receiving a report about the detention of migrants from sub-Saharan countries there.
One of the security sources told Reuters: “We found migrants – men, women and children – showing signs of torture. They were taken to a hospital where they reported that other migrants were with them and then they disappeared.”
The mass grave was discovered about 10 kilometers (six miles) southeast of Ajdabiya, which is about 160 kilometers from Benghazi, Libya’s second-largest city.
The two sources reported that the farm owner, who admitted to the presence of a mass grave on his land, was arrested.
Undocumented photos posted online showed a number of security personnel and Red Crescent volunteers placing bodies allegedly found on farmland inside black plastic bags.
One of the security sources said that the circumstances of the migrants’ death are still mysterious, and investigations are ongoing.
Migrants in Libya
Since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011, Libya has become a corridor for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty to Europe via dangerous routes in the desert and across the Mediterranean.
Libya’s oil-based economy is a magnet for poor migrants seeking work, but the security situation across the vast country is poor, making migrants vulnerable to abuse.
In July, more than 100 migrants, including five women, were released from captivity in Ajdabiya after a gang held them for ransom, according to the Libyan public prosecutor.
In September, the United Nations International Organization for Migration announced the death of at least 50 people after a fire broke out on a ship carrying 75 Sudanese refugees off the coast of Libya.
In mid-October, 61 bodies of migrants were recovered on the Mediterranean coast west of the capital, Tripoli.
UN data collected in 100 Libyan municipalities between August and October 2025 showed that these municipalities host a total of 928,839 migrants from 44 countries.
