550 illegal migrants died, lost off Libyan coast in 4 months: IOM

Libyan security authorities announced on Wednesday that an illegal migration attempt has been thwarted off Misrata’s coast, northwest of the country.

An unidentified number of illegal migrants have been arrested and a rubber boat carrying them was seized, said a statement by the Misrata security directorate.

A manhunt has been launched to arrest those involved in scheming the illegal migration, according to the statement.

The Libyan Constitutional Committee, comprising members of the House of Representatives and the High Council of State, wrapped up its meeting on April 18, in Cairo under the sponsorship of the UN.

In statements upon issuing the final statement of the committee meeting, Williams described consultations held over a week of meetings as "conciliatory", adding that a number of issues pertaining to the committee's organizing statute were addressed.

The UN envoy said an agreement has been reached to resume consultations after the vacation of Eid Al Fitr.

The envoy added the committee members held a number of in-camera sessions facilitated by the UN over the past few days, adding that a team of technical experts have presented clarifications on a set of constitutional issues drawing on the constitutional expertise of a number of countries in the region and the world.

She said the UN is seeking to reach consensus among the two Libyan houses before the end of the current year with the aim of activating the Libyan elections track and meeting the aspirations of the Libyan people through holding elections based on a true constitutional base and within a specific timeframe.

The UN official voiced appreciation for the Egyptian government for hosting this round of the committee meetings and praised Cairo backing for the UN efforts to achieve security and stability in Libya.