The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has announced that 753 migrants were intercepted at sea and returned to the Libyan coast over a single week, spanning from 28 September to 4 October 2025, as part of its weekly update on maritime operations off Libya. These interception efforts targeted several key coastal areas, most notably Sabratha, Zawiya, Tripoli, and Tobruk.
Weekly Interception Breakdown and Demographics
The operations details include the interception of 71 male migrants on 2 October, launched from Tobruk. On 1 October, two groups totaling 163 migrants—among them 12 women and 7 children—were stopped, alongside another 32 migrants (two women and two children) launched from Sabratha and Zawiya. September 30 saw the largest figures, with 222 intercepted migrants (187 men, 26 women, 9 children), another 171 (including 18 women and 4 children), and 54 men, departing from Zawiya, Tripoli, and Tobruk. Finally, on 28 September, 40 migrants (39 men and one woman) were intercepted off Zawiya, with reports also noting the loss of three individuals during that incident.
Stark Annual Figures and Fatalities on the Central Mediterranean Route
Cumulative data from the IOM reveals that since the start of 2025 up to 4 October, a total of 20,017 migrants have been intercepted and returned to Libya. This group comprises 17,312 men, 1,779 women, 718 children, and 208 whose data remains unconfirmed. The organization draws attention to the staggering human toll on the Central Mediterranean route, where, according to its Missing Migrants Project, 461 people have perished and 424 remain missing since the beginning of the year.
IOM’s Position on Disembarkation and Safety
The report explicitly states that the International Organization for Migration is not involved in rescue or interception operations and holds no oversight on events preceding or following migrant disembarkations. The figures released are preliminary, the organization noted, and are subject to regular updates as new information becomes available. Crucially, the IOM reiterated that it does not consider Libya a safe port for the disembarkation of migrants. Comparative statistics show that 21,762 migrants were intercepted and returned in 2024, compared to 17,190 in 2023. Fatalities on the Central Mediterranean route totaled 665 in 2024 and 1,034 went missing, while 2023 saw 962 deaths and 1,536 missing persons.
