TRIPOLI, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Monday that more than 2,100 illegal migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast and returned to Libya in the past week.

"In the period of 18-24 July, 2,185 migrants were rescued/intercepted at sea and returned to Libya," the IOM said.

So far in 2021, a total of 18,282 illegal migrants, including women and children, have been rescued, while hundreds others went missing on the Central Mediterranean route, according to the IOM.

Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, which makes the North African country a preferred point of departure for illegal migrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.

Rescued migrants end up inside overcrowded reception centers across Libya, despite repeated international calls to close them. Enditem

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