A powerful militia known for smuggling people from Libya is seeking legitimacy from the Tripoli government in exchange for preventing migrant boats from leaving the country, a senior group member has said.

On Thursday, the Libyan authorities, in cooperation with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), returned 170 Sudanese migrants as part of a voluntary repatriation programme.

Libya’s coastguard has rescued more than 3,000 migrants aiming to cross the Mediterranean to Europe in the past week, while Italy picked up another 2,000 in recent days, official and reports said on Sunday.

Refugees and migrants are dying in the Mediterranean at a quicker rate than last year, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported, as rights groups raise alarm over abusive conditions in Libya – now the main country of departure.

During a debate at the European Parliament on Tuesday, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that illegal immigration managed by mafias is “a new form of slavery”. EURACTIV Spain reports.

In Sabrata, Libya’s main departure point for clandestine migrants hoping to reach Europe, people trafficking gangs are under so much pressure that some have closed for business.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says “Europe has got a collective responsibility” to help improve migrant detention conditions in Libya.

Over the last year, thousands of migrants and refugees have made the perilous journey from the shores of Libya to the Italian coast. The figures of new arrivals in 2016 were set to surpass 2017 — that is, until last month.

Libya remains one of the most complex mixed migration situations in the world, with refugees traveling alongside migrants through perilous routes, surviving dangerous desert crossings and abuses that include sexual violence, torture, detention in inhumane conditions and abductions for ransom. All this before they even embark on the deadly Central …

There’s no shortage of news on Libya’s migration crisis, but there is a serious dearth of policy solutions.