177 migrants evacuated from Libya to Niger

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has evacuated 177 asylum-seekers to Niger, the second evacuation flight to Niger this year since Libyan authorities lifted a blanket ban on humanitarian flights in October.

This is the 30th evacuation flight to Niger since the establishment of the Emergency Transit Mechanism in 2017, as the number of those who arrived reached 3,710 refugees and asylum seekers from Libya, of whom 3,255 have departed from Niger to third countries on resettlement pathways, according to the UNHCR official Facebook page.

“Those evacuated to Niger include families and young children. Some have just been released from detention, while others have been living in urban areas. Many are victims of smuggling or trafficking and have experienced violence in Libya”, UNHCR added.