LIBYA - The Great Tragedy of Migrants

It was the latest tragedy in this part of the Mediterranean Sea. The Libyan coast is one of the main departure points for migrants from North Africa trying to reach European shores for a better life there. They are packed by smugglers into small and unsafe boats, with thousands dying during the perilous sea journey.

Libya has in recent years emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East, even though the country was plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed its longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

-apnews.com, 19 June 2026

Commentary: The tragedy is unending. Wars, uprisings, civil unrest, crime, and poverty are the main reasons for Africans to seek a better life on the European continent.

Of the 54 recognized sovereign countries in Africa, only two, Ethiopia and Liberia, have never been colonialized. Wikipedia states that approximately 67.3% of Ethiopia’s population follows the Christian religion, with about 31.3% Islamic. Liberia too is predominantly Christian: approximately 84.9%, with Islam at 12%.

Why immigrants, legal or not, target Europe is not surprising. It was the European powers that established virtually all of the 54 sovereign nations on the continent.

However, there is a hidden blessing, because many of these Africans hear the Gospel and convert to a living faith in Jesus Christ. We mention this in this column repeatedly. The noticeable lack of missionary activity in these countries, is an apparent unnoticed reason for many to come.

That is again good news, because the Church is being built. Living stones are being added to the spiritual temple. When that spiritual temple is completed, the Rapture will take place.

Please pray continually for immigrants, that many will find real freedom, real peace: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

(See The Desire for Peace, Item #9122, $5 per 100 tracts.)