UNHCR Calls On Libyan Government To Stop Raids In Refugee-Populated Areas

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd October, 2021) The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) urged the government of Libya on Friday to urgently address the dire living conditions of refugees and asylum seekers in a "humane and rights-based" manner after several state-mandated raids in such communities resulted in multiple deaths and mass arrests.

Since early October, hundreds of refugees were arrested in the Libyan government's "anti-drug" raids. Some of them were left homeless after security officers demolished or quarantined facilities serving as housing to unregistered asylum seekers. Some 3,000 refugees are currently sheltered outside the UNHCR-supervised facility in Tripoli, according to the UN agency.

"Since the start of the security raids and arrests by the Libyan authorities in October, we have witnessed a sharp deterioration in the situation facing vulnerable asylum-seekers and refugees in Tripoli.

The Libyan authorities must come up with a proper plan that respects their rights and identifies durable solutions," Vincent Cochetel, UNHCR's Special Envoy for the Western and Central Mediterranean Situation, said.

The Libyan government should also stop the raids and release those arrested, UNHCR said, adding that it is now in talks with people protesting outside the Community Day Centre in Tripoli in a bid to explain the limitations in assistance that can be offered to them.

The UN agency praised the Libyan government's decision to resume humanitarian evacuation flights, halted since March due to the coronavirus pandemic, but stressed that the situation needs more action. As of now, over 1,000 refugees eligible for evacuations are awaiting their turn to be evacuated, according to the statement.