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UN agency: Over 100 asylum seekers evacuated from Libya to Rwanda
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Thursday (Sep 1) that it evacuated more than 100 asylum seekers from Libya to Rwanda.
"More than 100 vulnerable asylum seekers have been evacuated on a flight out of Libya to Rwanda," the UNHCR said in a statement.
The asylum seekers, including 38 children, are from different African countries, it added. Eritrea 49, Sudan 39, Somalia 10, Ethiopia 2 and S. Sudan 1.
"We are also grateful to the relevant Libyan authorities for their support in facilitating necessary formalities for these humanitarian evacuation flights," it noted.
The fresh group was transported to Gashora Transit Center in Bugesera district were they joined other over 401 asylum seekers currently being accommodated at the center has served as host to other evacuees who arrived before.
More than 100 vulnerable asylum seekers, including 38 children, have been evacuated on a flight out of Libya to reach safety in Rwanda.
— UNHCR Libya (@UNHCRLibya) September 1, 2022
They will receive shelter & assistance at the Emergency Transit Mechanism in Gashora.@EUinLibya @eu_near pic.twitter.com/fpwVWrNhaI
This means that there are currently 502 asylum seekers housed at the Gashora Transit Center.
Many undocumented migrants, mostly from Africa, choose to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores from Libya, which has been suffering chaos since 2011 when the late former leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown.
Over 13,000 migrants have crossed English Channel since Rwanda scheme announced
According to the International Organization for Migration, 14,157 illegal immigrants have been rescued at sea and returned to Libya so far in 2022.
This is part of the Government of Rwanda, the United Nations Refugee agency (UNHCR) and the African Union (AU) Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM) plan set up in 2019 to provide life saving protection, assistance and long term solutions to vulnerable refugees trapped in Libya through a temporary evacuation to Rwanda.
