UNHCR puts immigrants stranded in Libya on flights to Europe

BY Libyan Express Feb 22, 2018 - 20:27

The UNHCR also documented the return of 250.000 Libyan IDPs to their cities since the start of 2017. [Photo: the United Nations]

The U.N. refugee agency has evacuated more than 1,000 highly vulnerable people from Libya in a three-month operation that began last November. The agency hopes to evacuate hundreds more and is searching for more lasting solutions for people who are held in detention centers in Libya, and whose conditions have been described as inhumane.

UNHCR officials say they have been working to evacuate mainly women and children, including single mothers and unaccompanied minors — people who have been held in detention centers in Libya. UNHCR spokesperson in Italy Carlotta Sami says arriving in the country means new hope and a chance at a life without violence or abuse.

“For those that are most vulnerable and in a very difficult situation, the evacuation is a solution. It is a life-saving solution,” said Sami.

They are mainly nationals from Eritrea, South Sudan and Somalia. An agreement has been reached with the Libyan authorities to release hundreds of these refugees who are in situations of extreme hardship.

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