Libyan MP Abu Bakr Baira described the issue of refugees reportedly paying for their release as "a big problem that comes amid tough times that the people are going through."
"Human trafficking has [already] spread. On the Libyan coast, thousands of people have profited from the trade and the transportation of migrants by sea," he said adding that the Mediterranean coastline in Libya stretches for at least 2,000 kilometers, which makes the illegal sea crossing quite feasible.
#Libya's coastguards are 'inflicting horrors on migrants' with EU money — reports https://t.co/udsUkjlQba pic.twitter.com/b7ofNg8IMi
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) 25 октября 2017 г.
He added that the issue of illegal migration from Libya to Europe caused an outcry from the international community and the UN.
In this vein, Baira specifically pointed to the temporary detention centers for migrants in Libya, which has been in the grip of chaos since 2011 when the country's long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was toppled and then killed.
According to Baira, "some call the conditions in these centers inhuman, with the situation being complicated by the lack of state control."
"The economic situation and administrative corruption [in Libya] may be the cause of increasing bribery and nepotism. It is rather easy to buy detained migrants from these temporary centers. This information is not confirmed, but everything is possible in the current chaos," he concluded.
Right now, Libya's eastern regions are governed by the elected parliament backed by the Libyan National Army, headquartered in the city of Tobruk.
The Government of National Accord, formed with the support from the United Nations and Europe and headed by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, operates in the Libyan capital of Tripoli.
