UN refugee agency concerned over the plight of migrants still in Libya
| Publisher | UN News Service |
| Publication Date | 16 September 2011 |
| Cite as | UN News Service, UN refugee agency concerned over the plight of migrants still in Libya, 16 September 2011, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4e7846412.html [accessed 25 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The UN High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR) and the International Office for Migration (IOM) have restored their telephone hotline services in the Tripoli area and received large numbers of calls from refugees and migrants reporting numerous protection incidents, including detention and a need for food assistance, the agency's spokesperson, Adrian Edwards, told reporters in Geneva.
UNHCR staff have carried out a series of field visits to areas where refugees and asylum-seekers are living in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, and met with a group of 60 Sudanese from Darfur, some of whom were injured in the conflict, but said who they had stable relations with the local community, Mr. Edwards added.
A group of Eritreans reported that two of their compatriots were killed when they were caught in crossfire during the conflict.
The Stabilization Team of Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) is coordinating with the relevant ministries to prepare a strategy that would include public awareness, the issuing of temporary identification documents for migrants and the exploration of ways of providing shelter and other services to vulnerable asylum-seekers and refugees, according to Mr. Edwards.
UNHCR has also been contacted by the local military council in Zintan, Nafusa Mountains, asking the agency to identify solutions for a group of third-country nationals, reportedly Somalis.
The agency has also heard from a group of Somalis fleeing the Sabha area, currently surrounded by NTC forces. IOM and UNHCR are coordinating efforts to evacuate that group to Tripoli. UNHCR has also made a number of visits to areas where displaced Libyans have gathered.
