This man who is known as the world’s most wanted alleged human trafficker has been freed by Libyan officials just months after he was arrested for human trafficking and the deaths of countless migrants who drowned after he allegedly sunk their rafts.

Abd Al-Rahman Milad, whose age is known, alias Bija, who is one of the most wanted human traffickers in the world was released by Libyan officials who claim there is insufficient evidence to charge him last Sunday (11th April).

The suspected human trafficker hit the headlines last year after it was revealed that in 2017, he had attended a high-level meeting with EU immigration officials in Italy.

The Italian newspaper Avvenire reported that Bija was introduced at the meeting as the head of the Libyan coast guard.

Shortly after the revelations, Bija was placed under sanctions by the United Nations (UN) in 2018 for his alleged role in sinking migrant ships attempting to cross the Mediterranean.

The UN security council issued a statement describing Bija as a “ruthless man suspected to be involved in the drowning of dozens of people”.

Last year in October (2020) Bijja was arrested by special forces in the Hay Al-Andalus district in the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

However, the military Attorney General of Libya announced on Sunday that there was insufficient evidence to charge Bija and he was subsequently released.

Bija, a former coastguard commander, is suspected of being a member of a human trafficking organisation that operated in Zawiyah in North-western Libya.

The UN security council report in 2018 said that: “The UN Panel of Experts claims that Milad, and other coastguard members, are directly involved in the sinking of migrant boats using firearms.”

It went on: “Al-Milad collaborates with other migrant smugglers such as Mohammed Kachlaf who, sources suggest, carry out illicit operations related to the trafficking and smuggling of migrants,”

Hussein Baoumi, Libya and Egypt researcher at Amnesty International, said that: “His release is not unexpected”

He added: “The Libyan authorities have failed to demonstrate that they are conducting an effective and transparent investigation with a view of referring him to a fair trial.”

Members of the left-wing Italian political party ‘Sinistra Italiana’ expressed their anger at the release which came just a few days after Italian prime minister, Mario Draghi, visited Tripoli.

Nicola Fratoianni, a member of Sinistra, addressed Italy’s chamber of Deputies said:” This man is accused of torture and other cruel criminal acts on human beings.”

He added: “The relationship between Italian institutions and this man, who was freed only a few days after the visit to Tripoli of Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, must be fully clarified.”

Libya has become a transit hub for African migrants and refugee’s attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea.

The EU and the Italian coast guard work with Libya’s coastguard in attempts to prevent migrants from making their way to the shores of Italy.

An investigation by the Associated Press in 2019 revealed that migrants that were returned to Libya were often tortured, killed, and held for ransom in detention centres that received millions of euros in funding from the EU.