Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Libyan Human Trafficker 'Al-Bidja' Detained by GNA Forces in Tripoli


Wed 14 Oct 2020 | 08:54 PM
H-Tayea

On Wednesday, security forces of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) arrested one of the commanders of its armed groups in Tripoli, Abdulrahman Milad, nicknamed as Al-Bidja.

The detention of the Libyan human trafficker was on orders of the Libya's Prosecutor General and caused a state of tension in city of Zawiya in western Libya.

Al-Bidja is an internationally-wanted criminal who has long record of human trafficking crimes in western Libya.

He was born in 1990 in the city of Zawiya, and works as a lieutenant officer assigned by the Government of National Accord to head the Coast Guard militias in the western region.

Al-Bidja is the head of the Zawiya Coast Guard and commands one of Zawiya’s most notorious militias, known for its role in human trafficking routes.

Al-Bidja was sanctioned by the UN Security Council for crimes against humanity that include human trafficking, mistreatment and torture of migrant prisoners, and the systematic sinking of migrant boats resulting in the loss of dozens of lives.

He has also amassed a very public profile for himself in recent years thanks to a series of international scandals, including public spats with government officials and appearances on international news outlets.

In 2019, an independent investigation found that Italy had invited Al Bidja to hold talks with intelligence officials in Sicily back in 2017, despite being fully aware of his involvement in human trafficking.