TRIPOLI, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- The UN-affiliated International Organization for Migration (IOM) said more than 200 illegal immigrants were rescued off Libyan coast on Wednesday.

"We reiterate that no one should be returned to Libya, and that the arbitrary detention of migrants must end," the IOM tweeted.

Because of the insecurity and chaos in Libya following the overthrow of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, thousands of illegal immigrants, mostly Africans, choose to cross the Mediterranean from in the North African country toward Europe.

According to IOM, more than 2,000 illegal immigrants have been rescued off Libyan coast so far in 2021.

In 2020, 323 migrants died and 417 others went missing on the Central Mediterranean route while 11,891 illegal immigrants were rescued and returned to Libya, according to the IOM estimates. Enditem

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