In November 2017, UNHCR launched a life-saving humanitarian evacuation programme from Libya. The Emergency Evacuation Transit Mechanism aims to evacuate the most vulnerable refugees identified by UNHCR who are trapped in Libya, and to accommodate them temporarily in Niger until a long-term solution can be found. This is only possible due to the extraordinary hospitality of the Niger government, who have agreed to temporarily expand their asylum space to facilitate this initiative. “Niger is a transit situation for them. They will be welcomed, they will be supported and they will be given hope that life is still possible” said Alessandra Morelli, UNHCR’s representative in Niger.

The first group of 25 refugees were successfully evacuated to Niger on the 11th of November. The group included mainly women, as well as several men and children of Eritrean, Ethiopian and Sudanese origin. The French ‘Office francais pour de protection des refugies et apatrides’ (OFPRA) completed a mission to Niger the following week to interview these refugees, with a view to providing resettlement opportunities in France. All 25 were successful in their application for resettlement, and departed Niger early in the morning on the 19th of December for a new life in France.

In the meantime, a second group of 74 vulnerable refugees arrived from Libya on the 14th of December, including mainly children and women. It is hoped that these refugees will also be provided with resettlement opportunities in various other countries in the near future.

Rahel* was among the second group to be evacuated “When UNHCR told me I was leaving Libya I wasn’t sure what to think, I didn’t believe them at first. Then when the bus came to fetch me from the detention centre I understood it was true… I was happy to be alive”. Rahel went through an horrific ordeal in Libya, along with many others, including beatings, rape and being sold on several occasions. “This humanitarian evacuation programme will enable us to take people out of detention centres in Libya…where life is suspended”, emphasised Ms. Morelli of UNHCR Niger.

On Monday the 12th of December, UNHCR made an urgent appeal for an additional 1,300 resettlement places to be made available by governments by March 2018, to enable UNHCR to provide solutions to these highly vulnerable people. This is following an overall appeal for the region made by the High Commissioner for refugees for a total of 40,000 resettlement spaces. It is essential that other countries share in this responsibility, if these life-saving evacuations are to continue.

UNHCR is extremely grateful to partners in this initiative, including IOM who is working to ensure the logistics and safe passage of these refugees, as well as UNICEF, who is ensuring the safe accommodation, support and protection of the most vulnerable – the unaccompanied and separated children.

“Refugee evacuations can only be part of broader asylum-building and migration management efforts to address the complex movement of migrants and refugees along the Mediterranean routes,” stressed Vincent Cochetel, UNHCR Special Envoy for the Central Mediterranean situation.

Louise Donovan, Niamey Dec 2017