TRIPOLI, Aug. 8 -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Thursday that it helped 292 migrants return from Libya to their home countries.

"On Aug. 6, 2024, the first charter flight from Sabha carried 163 migrants from Brak Alshati and Sabha (Southern Libya) to Lagos, Nigeria," the IOM said in a statement.

"On Aug. 7, 2024, a second flight carried 129 migrants to Mali, including 23 women and 19 families," the statement added.

Libya has been a popular transit point for some African migrants who attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach European shores.

So far this year, a total of 12,584 migrants have been intercepted and returned to Libya, while 411 died and 512 others went missing off the Libyan coast, according to the IOM.

  - Xinhua