The Indian Embassy in Libya has facilitated the return of 18 Indian nationals from Benghazi after being stranded in the city for several weeks, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Tuesday. It is learnt that the Indians were lured to the Libyan city by fake recruitment agents. "The Embassy of India in Libya facilitated the return of 18 Indian nationals from Benghazi, Libya. They would be arriving in India tomorrow," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X. "They had gone to work in Libya & had been stranded for several weeks. The Embassy worked closely with the local authorities and assisted the Indian workers with required authorisation and travel documents," he said. Jaiswal said the Embassy remained in touch with the Indians. "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," he said. "Three other Indian nationals from the same group, assisted by the Embassy, had returned to India last October," he added. Jaiswal also thanked the Libyan authorities for their support and cooperation in the case. Libya has been facing a deteriorating security situation, since the civil war began in 2014. In response to the escalating violence, the Government of India imposed a travel ban on Indian nationals to Libya on April 16, 2016. The security situation has further deteriorated in recent months, and presently, there are no direct flights between India and Libya.
