DHAKA — A total of 172 Bangladeshi nationals who wished to return home voluntarily arrived in Dhaka from Libya early on Thursday, October 29, Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release reported by The Business Standard and TOB News.

Source: The Business Standard — 172 Bangladeshis return home voluntarily from Libya

Their Buraq Air flight from Misrata landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 4:51am. TOB News identified the flight as UZ-222. Officials from the foreign ministry and other ministries, along with representatives of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), welcomed the returnees at the airport.

172Bangladeshi nationals who returned voluntarily on Thursday's flight
4:51amwhen the Buraq Air flight from Misrata landed in Dhaka
UZ-222the flight number reported by TOB News

Lured by traffickers toward Europe

Most of the returnees entered Libya after being lured by human traffickers, intending to travel to Europe illegally by sea, the ministry said. Many of them allegedly experienced kidnapping and torture at different times while in Libya — an allegation the ministry reported and which the returnees have been asked to speak about publicly.

Source: TOB News — 172 Bangladeshi migrants return home from Libya

The return was facilitated by the Libyan government and the IOM, in coordination with Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment and the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, according to the press release.

Help on arrival, and more returns to come

The IOM provided each returnee with travel expenses, some food items, primary healthcare and temporary accommodation, if necessary. The foreign ministry requested the returnees to share their harrowing experiences with others to raise public awareness about the risks of irregular migration.

The ministries, the Bangladesh mission in Tripoli and the IOM are working together to ensure the safe repatriation of Bangladeshi nationals still detained at various detention centres in Libya, the ministry said — meaning Thursday's flight is unlikely to be the last.

Why this matters beyond Bangladesh

The Libya-to-Europe sea route run by traffickers draws in workers from across South Asia, not only Bangladesh. Dhaka's decision to fly returnees home publicly — and to ask them to warn others — is aimed at breaking the traffickers' promise that the route leads to Europe.