UNHCR to evacuate 150 asylum seekers from Libya to Rwanda
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - A total of 150 asylum seekers and refugees were evacuated to Rwanda from Libya on the first evacuation flight of 2023, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced on Friday.
UNHCR said in a statement that the flight on Thursday was aimed at helping asylum seekers and refugees in Rwanda find durable solutions such as resettlement in third countries or voluntary return where possible.
UNHCR expressed its appreciation to the relevant Libyan authorities for their support and cooperation in organising the humanitarian evacuation flights.
The UN refugee agency thanked all donors for their continued support, namely the European Union, Canada, Italy, France and the United States.
A group of men, women and children of 119 vulnerable asylum seekers from Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia have already been evacuated from Libya to Rwanda by UNHCR.
The Rwanda Emergency Transit Facility was established in mid-2019, following an agreement between the Government of Rwanda, UNHCR and the African Union, and with financial support from the European Union, Austria, Denmark, Germany and the United States.
It is to provide safe space and long-term solutions for some of the most vulnerable asylum seekers and refugees in Libya.
-0- PANA BY/JSG/BBA/MA 11March2023
