Tripoli, Feb 12 (IANS) Libyan authorities released 24 refugees, including women and children, from a detention centre in Tripoli, UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency said.
The refugees were released from the Abusliem detention centre in southern Tripoli, UNHCR said in a statement on Tuesday.
The agency registered the released individuals and provided them with assistance, including medical support, blankets, clothes, and personal care items. Some will receive temporary shelter, the statement added.
UNHCR said it is working with Libyan authorities for the release of all refugees and asylum-seekers in detention, particularly the most vulnerable.
Separately, Libya’s Interior Ministry said on Tuesday it has deported a group of Nigerian migrants voluntarily to their home country, “in coordination with the relevant authorities and in accordance with approved international standards.”
Libya has been plagued by insecurity and chaos since the 2011 fall of Muammar Gaddafi, leading many migrants, primarily from sub-Saharan Africa, to attempt perilous sea crossings to Europe, Xinhua news agency reported.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that 3,188 migrants have been intercepted at sea and returned to Libya this year. The IOM also documented 62 migrant deaths on the Central Mediterranean route.
Libyan Interior Minister Emad Al-Tarabelsi said on Sunday that Libya refuses to settle migrants and warned of possible forced deportations.
In a statement published on the ministry’s Facebook page, Al-Tarabelsi said Libya hosts more than 3 million illegal migrants, making it “a country affected the most by illegal migration flows.”
He warned that Libya may resort to forced deportations if the international community fails to support voluntary return programmes.
Libya is a signatory to the Organization of African Unity’s 1969 Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, but it is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention.
–IANS
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