The Municipality of Zuwara Monday issued a notification to all undocumented foreigners residing in Zuwara to settle their legal status within ten days from the announcement or voluntarily leave the city.

The statement indicated the growing numbers of illegal migrants and the high crime rate in their places of residence in particular.

It warned that after the deadline, the security services would launch an overall security plan to track the violators.

The Mayor of Zuwara has held an emergency meeting lately to discuss the security situation, stressing that "the city's security is, above all."

The Municipal council's media office explained to The Libya Observer in previous statements that the meeting came in response to the growing crime rate in the city. "Unfortunately, most of these violations are committed by illegal migrants and foreigners."

The coastal city of Zuwara is one of the main transit points for migrants attempting to cross to European shores.

Since the beginning of 2021, around 11,891 illegal immigrants were rescued and returned to Libya, 381 migrants died, and 597 went missing on the Mediterranean route during the same period, according to the IOM.