The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Thursday that it had resumed evacuation of refugees from Libya amid intensified clashes near the country's capital.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th October, 2018) The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Thursday that it had resumed evacuation of refugees from Libya amid intensified clashes near the country's capital.
Tripoli has been hit by multiple clashes between rival militant groups since late August, when the Seventh Brigade armed group launched an attack against other militias. In September, the rival militant groups reached a ceasefire agreement under the UN auspices. However, the hostilities continue, with daily violations of the truce being reported.
"Amidst an increasingly volatile security situation in Tripoli, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency successfully evacuated 135 people out of Libya to Niger on Tuesday night (16 October)," the statement read.
According to the agency, the refugees are now temporarily hosted by the UNHCR Emergency Transit Mechanism until further accommodation is found.
The rescued group is the first one the UNHRC evacuated from Libya since June, when the evacuations were suspended over concerns that the number of people received by Niger was outpacing the speed at which people were being resettled to third countries, the agency said.
The UNHRC added that a total of 1,997 people have been evacuated from Libya since the start of the rescue operations in December last year.
Libya has been in the state of war since its long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011. The eastern part of the country is governed by the parliament, backed by the Libyan National Army (LNA) and located in Tobruk. The UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, operates in the country's west and is headquartered in Tripoli.
