Libyan navy rescues 383 illegal immigrants off the country's western coast (Photo: VNA)

On Friday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) called on the European Union and the African Union for an urgent shift in approaching the situation of illegal immigrants in Libya.

IOM on Friday said that during the previous 48 hours, more than 600 illegal immigrants, including women and children, have been discovered on the central Mediterranean route.

IOM estimated that more than 8,600 illegal immigrants have been returned to overcrowded detention centers in Libya, where the UN documented "unacceptable conditions, violations of human rights and disappearances."

Thousands of illegal immigrants, mostly Africans, choose to cross the Mediterranean Sea toward Europe from Libya.