UNHCR evacuates refugees in Libya to Niger amid Tripoli fighting

In the early hours of the morning on the 19th of April, 163 vulnerable refugees from Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea were successfully evacuated from Tripoli to Niamey, despite ongoing conflict in Libya. This was the first successful evacuation flight out of Libya since the violence escalated in the capital a fortnight ago.

In Niger airport, the refugees completed the formalities, before being transported to their new temporary homes. Entire families arrived exhausted to Niger with hopes to start a new life after resettlement abroad. They affirmed that the situation of Libya is taking out of control once again including shelling next to the detention centers and shots to the sky carried by Libyan.

UNHCR set up an Emergency Transit Mechanism in November 2017 to evacuate refugees trapped in detention centers in Libya to Niger, where a durable solution can be found, including resettlement. So far, 2,782 refugees have been evacuated to Niger. These evacuation flights are an essential life-saving tool.

These are the stories of the latest refugees to arrive in Niamey.

View on UNHCR website.