Tripoli, Jan 24 (IANS): The Libyan Foreign Ministry has announced the opening an illegal immigrants' reception centre in capital Tripoli specifically for women and children.

The new centre was unveiled during a ceremony attended by Interior Minister Khaled Mazen and Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

With a capacity of 1,500 people and run entirely by female security officers, the centre will provide basic food and medical services for the immigrants, Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry as saying.

It noted the new reception centre contains a clinic, a school, a kindergarten, a sports facility, a computer laboratory, and an orphan dormitory.

"This centre, along with all of its facilities and services, reflects the Government of National Unity's care for the immigrants and its keenness to improve their living conditions, preserving their dignity, and respecting their rights according to international humanitarian agreements," Mangoush said.

Libya, suffering insecurity and chaos after the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, is a preferred point of departure for illegal immigrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 32,000 illegal immigrants had been rescued and returned to Libya in 2021.