Nearly 20,000 migrants have tried to cross from eastern Libya to the Greek island of Crete so far in 2026, according to Greek daily Kathimerini.

On 20 October alone, Greek authorities logged 710 migrants arriving in 14 small boats, with hundreds more arriving the following day.

Most vessels depart from the vicinity of Tobruk, Libya’s eastern Mediterranean port, where smugglers have shifted to smaller craft after a 2023 crackdown on routes to Italy.

Migrants are paying up to $4,000 (about €3,600 or Sh519,166.80) for the journey, which typically lasts a day and a half.

The route’s popularity has risen as smugglers diversify; groups previously focused on goods, vehicles or drugs have entered the people‑smuggling market, according to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime.

Researchers note that Libya’s fragmented political landscape fuels a “conflict economy” where armed actors profit from informal markets, including migrant smuggling.

German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) analyst Hager Ali says the same networks that manage transport and security for goods can be repurposed for human trafficking.

Libya has been divided since 2014, with a UN‑backed administration in Tripoli and a Haftar‑aligned government in Tobruk; no direct links have been proven between Haftar’s network and the smugglers operating off Tobruk.

A recent maritime agreement between the Tobruk authorities and Turkey has heightened geopolitical tension in the eastern Mediterranean, though a causal link to the migrant surge remains unconfirmed.

UN International Organisation for Migration data from May‑June 2026 shows roughly 950,000 migrants and refugees residing in Libya, many lacking legal status and dependent on informal economies.