Joint Statement Issued by Thirteen Libyan NGOsOn the Mass Killing of Migrants in the City of Ajdabiya

Ref: PRS 2026/01/1002

January 16, 2026

Joint Statement Issued by Thirteen Libyan NGOs
On the Mass Killing of Migrants in the City of Ajdabiya

The undersigned Libyan non‑governmental organizations working in the fields of human rights, monitoring, documentation, and humanitarian action express their profound shock and strongest condemnation of the horrific crime uncovered south of the city of Ajdabiya. The remains of 21 migrants were exhumed from a mass grave, all of them migrants of various African nationalities, in one of the most serious mass execution crimes witnessed in Libya in recent years.

According to information obtained from security and human rights sources, reports were submitted to the Internal Security Agency, Ajdabiya branch, regarding executions of migrants detained inside a private farm. The competent authorities subsequently launched investigative and information‑gathering operations, which led to suspicion of a Libyan individual with a criminal record who had been detaining migrants on his property.

During the raid on the site, security forces found men and women suffering from gunshot wounds in critical condition. They were transferred to the main Hospital in Ajdabiya. It also became evident that the site had been operated as a secret, unlawful detention facility. Survivors reported that the suspect had killed several victims, including women and children. This led to the identification of mass‑grave locations and the discovery of the remains of 21 victims who were killed in cold blood.

Despite the gravity of the crime and its confirmation by multiple governmental and human rights sources, no briefing or official statement has been issued, as of the date of this document, by the Libyan government in the East or its Ministry of Interior clarifying the circumstances of the incident or the measures taken. This raises serious concerns regarding transparency and the public’s right to know.

The undersigned organizations affirm that this crime is not an isolated incident. Rather, it falls within a recurring and well‑documented pattern of mass killings, executions of migrants, and their burial in mass graves since 2017, often linked to human‑trafficking networks and illegal detention sites in southern, eastern, and western Libya, amid widespread impunity.

In recent years, Libya has witnessed several similar incidents, including Sabratha in 2017, the Mezda massacre in 2020, the Sabratha incidents of 2022, the discovery of a mass grave in Al‑Shwaerif in 2024, and the discovery of mass graves in the Kufra region in 2025, in addition to cases of extrajudicial killing and informal burial of migrants in several areas of western Libya without effective accountability. Collectively, these events raise a fundamental question: How can such large numbers of migrants be detained for extended periods without the knowledge or intervention of the competent authorities, and without monitoring or dismantling these criminal networks?

Accordingly, the undersigned Libyan non‑governmental organizations call for the following:

• Conducting a transparent, independent, and urgent investigation into the Ajdabiya crime, with its findings made public.
• Ensuring the right of journalists and media outlets to access information and ending misinformation and concealment.
• Exposing all illegal detention and human‑trafficking networks linked to this crime and holding all perpetrators accountable without exception.
• Activating national accountability mechanisms and engaging seriously with relevant international investigative bodies.
• Taking immediate measures to prevent the recurrence of such crimes and ending the state of impunity.

The continued official silence regarding crimes of this magnitude undermines public trust in state institutions and poses a direct threat to the lives and dignity of individuals in Libya.

Signatory Organizations:

1. Benghazi Center for Migration and Asylum Studies
2. Lawyers Without Restrictions – Benghazi
3. Belady Human Rights Watch – Misrata
4. Al‑Bariq Child Rights Organization – Tripoli
5. Atwar Organization for Research and Community Development – Tripoli
6. Human Rights Solidarity Organisation – Tripoli
7. Arab International Organization for Women’s Rights – Tripoli
8. Ihqaq for Sustainable Development of Women and Children – Tripoli
9. Tabayano Human Rights Association – Nalut
10. Arab Organization for Human Rights in Libya – Tripoli
11. Al‑Tebyan Human Rights Association – Daraj
12. Independent Human Rights Association – Misrata
13. Mediterranean Center for Studies and Research – Tripoli

Tripoli – Libya

January 16, 2026