UNHCR urges International community not to forget people left without support to evacuate Libya

Many civilians have also been displaced inside the country, others remain trapped in areas where they may be exposed to crossfire. Asylum-seekers and refugees, in particular those from sub-Saharan Africa,  are among those most at risk. So far only few of them have managed to cross the land borders with neighbouring countries.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is calling for the international community not to forget about individuals who are left behind in Libya without support from any government.

Libyans arriving at Egypt’s Sallum border crossing at the weekend said civilians had been seeking shelter with host families as well as in schools and university buildings. While more than 320,000 people have fled to neighbouring countries to escape the violence in Libya since mid-February, the number of internally displaced is not known. Most of those who have left have been from third countries; only one in eight have been Libyans.

Fighting continues in some areas despite the imposition since Saturday of a United Nations-sanctioned no-fly zone over Libya, which has seen daily air and missile strikes against military targets in the country. UNHCR talked to people who had seen civilians flee the towns of Ajdabiya, Benghazi, Derna and Tobruk.

Providing humanitarian assistance to the displaced is very challenging, but UNHCR plans to send truckloads of aid tomorrow on a World Food Programme convoy to the opposition-held Benghazi, Libya’s second-largest city. This will include 5,000 blankets and 5,000 sleeping mats. There are also reported shortages of medical supplies and basic commodities in the east, with prices having risen dramatically.

UNHCR is deeply concerned about the civilians inadvertently caught up in the mounting violence in Libya, especially asylum-seekers and refugees. Prior to the current unrest UNHCR had registered more than 8,000 refugees in Libya, with a further 3,000 asylum-seekers having pending cases. The refugee community in Malta is calling for attention to this increasingly desperate situation. Many tell of friends and relatives who remain trapped in their homes, fearing for their lives, unable to move towards the land-borders. UNHCR has received reports about refugees and migrants who have been attacked and killed in recent days.

An open letter presented to the media by the Refugee community in Malta during the demonstration saying that Malta has acted as a humanitarian hub for thousands of people so far. “We are appealing to the Maltese government for its help in the evacuation of our brothers and sisters,” the refugees said. More than 16,000 people have so far benefited from Malta’s efforts to facilitate evacuation and transit of nationals of various countries. However, the situation in Libya remains dire.

In a statement, issued following the peaceful demonstration, the UNHCR Office in Malta reiterated its call for all neighbouring states to keep their borders open to individuals who are escaping the turmoil in Libya.

The High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres made a plea for those who are still left behind: “There are no planes and boats to evacuate people originating from war-torn and very poor countries.” Mr. Guterres called for governments to consider the needs of all vulnerable people and not just their own citizens. “Many of these people feel targeted and afraid and have no resources.” The international community should make all possible efforts to continue to support evacuation of all those in need at this time of crisis in Libya.

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