A total of 18 Indians, who were stranded in Benghazi, Libya for weeks, have returned to the country, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday. In a post on X, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the Indian Embassy in Libya facilitated the return of Indians who had gone to Libya for work and were stranded for several weeks. Jaiswal added that the embassy will remain in touch with the Indians. Jaiswal also thanked the Libyan authorities for their support and cooperation.
Jaiswal in his post added, “While their case was being looked into, the Embassy remained in constant touch with them to ensure their well-being, assisting them with articles of daily living. Three other Indian nationals from the same group, assisted by the Embassy, had returned to India last October.”
The security situation in Libya has been deteriorating in the wake of the civil war that began in 2014. Earlier, the Government of India also imposed a travel ban on Indian nationals to Libya. In recent months, the security situation has further deteriorated. Notably, there are no direct flights that connect India and Libya.