Since the start of the Mediterranean crisis in 2014, UNHCR has been at the forefront of efforts to assist the most vulnerable, including relocating them to safe and secure places outside Libya. In September 2019, Rwanda signed the first Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UNHCR and the African Union (AU) to evacuate refugees and asylum-seekers from Libya to Rwanda.
Under the MoU, UNHCR in collaboration with the Government of Rwanda and the AU established an Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM) in Gashora Sector, Bugesera District, Rwanda, to support up to 500 refugees and asylum seekers evacuated from Libya (at any given time) and to conduct case processing for resettlement and other durable solutions.
Subsequently in October 2021, the first Addendum to the tripartite MoU was signed by the parties, who agreed to renew and extend the MoU until December 2023, increasing the total number of individuals to be hosted in the centre to 700 people at any given time.
The aim of the ETM is to temporarily host refugees and asylum seekers who have undertaken voluntary evacuation from Libya. While in the ETM, asylum seekers go through refugee case processing undertaken by UNHCR to determine if they meet the requirements for durable solutions which mainly involves resettlement to a third country.
How does the evacuation process work?
Evacuations start in Libya where UNHCR staff identify vulnerable asylum seekers and refugees in need of international protection. Many of these individuals have been housed in detention centres and experienced trauma, violence, and abuse. UNHCR staff screen the individuals to see if they would be eligible to be evacuated to the ETM and counsel them as to the process to ensure their voluntary agreement. Information is then shared with UNHCR Rwanda and lists for evacuation are established based on vulnerability.
How many people are in the ETM and where do they come from?
Between September 2019 and February 2024, over 2,000 refugees and asylum seekers were evacuated from Libya to the ETM in Rwanda through 17 evacuation flights. The refugees and asylum seekers consist of mainly Eritrean, Somali, Sudanese, Ethiopian, South-Sudanese, Cameroon, Nigerian and Chadian nationalities. Over 1,500 refugees have subsequently been resettled to third countries.
Emergency Interventions
Once voluntarily evacuated from Libya to Rwanda, refugees and asylum seekers are provided with a range of services and support by UNHCR and our implementing partners. This includes an initial health screening, the provision of three meals a day, allocation of shelter, the availability of primary health care 24 hours a day, and referrals for secondary and tertiary health care to local hospitals if needed. Individuals at the ETM also receive monthly cash-assistance to help them meet their basic needs and buy groceries and other household items from the local market.
Over 70% of asylum seekers and refugees evacuated from Libya have been identified with psychological distress and PTSD. As a result, UNHCR and partners offer regular psychosocial counselling and therapy.
In addition, to prepare refugees for life after leaving the ETM, UNHCR and partners organize a range of activities and skills based trainings to further their development and help them to regain their dignity. These include language literacy classes, computer classes, driving lessons, barbershop and hair dressing skills, financial literacy programmes, and other skill developing trainings.
Case Processing for Durable Solutions
Once in the ETM centre, the UNHCR conducts registration/verification of refugees and asylum seekers, as well as refugee status determination (while unaccompanied children undergo Best Interest Determination assessments), and durable solutions assessments.
After these case processing procedures, refugees are submitted for from resettlement to third countries. Options to return home or integrate in Rwanda are also available, although no refugees have yet engaged with these solutions.
As of February 2024, over 1,500 refugees from the ETM centre have been resettled to Canada, Sweden, Norway, Finland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and USA.