South Sudanese migrants seen at a detention center in Libya, in this undated photo. | Courtesy.

A national lawmaker is calling on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to intervene and rescue about 7,000 South Sudanese stranded in Libya.

Many of the young people, aged 25 years, are in detention in El Roemi, El Jedidiah, and Ein El Zara – for having entered the country illegally.

The South Sudanese migrants and asylum-seekers are reportedly yearning to return home – having waited in vain to cross the sea to Europe for a better life.

Honorable Chabur Goc from the South Sudan Opposition Alliance said Thursday, the young people are in a difficult situation, with some of them in prison due to different reasons.

Lawmaker Goc appeals to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to intervene by sending top officials to lobby for the release of the South Sudan migrants from detention.

“The number of South Sudan who are in Libya, is ranging between 5 to 7 thousand people and most of them are youth in the ages of under 25 years old, and some families.”

“A number of them are in prison and the big problem is that we don’t have diplomatic missions in Libya and Tunisia because some people want to adjust their situation so that can return home.”

Mr. Goc, once studying in Libya under scholarship, said some of the young South Sudanese resort to job search in the North African country, but added: “If you don’t have identification papers, you cannot get work there.”

“That’s why I called upon the Ministry of foreign affairs to intervene and do an effort on this issue, and how they can handle the situation of our people there.”

Libya is one of the main departure points for African migrants who seek asylum mainly in Italy, Spain, Franch and the Great Britain.

Early this year, the government said it discussed the plight of South Sudanese migrants with the International Organization for Migration.

Acting Minister Deng Dau Deng said he appealed to IOM to help repatriate South Sudanese migrants back to South Sudan.

The Foreign Ministry then directed the country’s embassies in Sudan and Egypt to consistently address the situation of South Sudanese migrants in Libya.

But apparently, the situation has not been addressed.