The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said it has evacuated 177 asylum-seekers from Libya to Niger.
“In the last evacuation flight of the year out of Libya, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has brought 177 vulnerable asylum seekers to safety in Niger. It is the second evacuation flight to Niger this year since the Libyan authorities lifted a blanket ban on humanitarian flights in October,” the Agency said in a statement.
The evacuation took place through the Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM) established in 2017 by the Government of Niger, which generously agreed to temporarily receive on its territory refugees facing life-threatening situations in Libya, the UNHCR said.
“UNHCR is relieved to see the resumption of these life-saving evacuation flights,” said the agency’s Chief of Mission in Libya, Jean-Paul Cavalieri. “However, considering the limited number of places, evacuation can only be a solution for extremely vulnerable people, in urgent need of security and protection.”
Many of those evacuated had previously been detained in extremely dire conditions, were victims of trafficking, or had experienced violence in Libya, the agency said.
So far, 3,361 refugees and asylum seekers have been evacuated from Libya to Niger, of whom 3,213 have departed from Niger to third countries on resettlement and complementary pathways, the agency said.
The group included families, children traveling alone, and a baby born just a few weeks ago. Evacuees said they were relieved to be leaving Libya. In Niger, UNHCR provides mental health care support to those who have faced traumatic events while in Libya, as well as access to educational and vocational training opportunities.
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