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The UN is considering the transfer of more refugees from Libyan centers to areas where clashes between factions have erupted. By MAHMUD TURKIA (AFP)
The UN announced Tuesday that it has evacuated more than 150 refugees from a detention center in Tripoli affected by recent clashes, and said refugees living elsewhere should also be displaced.
The operation took place as warring factions in this North African country faced increasing international pressure to put an end to the violence that killed dozens of people and caused the flight of thousands of others.
"Given the current insecurity in the Libyan capital … the United Nations Refugee Agency today transferred more than 150 refugees from Ain detention center. Zara, in southern Tripoli, "said the agency in a statement.
He noted that the detention center had been "hit by violent clashes in recent days" and added that the refugees were now in a "security zone" nearby.
UNHCR said it was its first such resettlement since the intensification of fighting in Libya.
The oil-rich country has been shaken by violent power struggles between armed groups since the overthrow of dictator Moamer Gaddafi, backed by NATO, in 2011.
The UN-backed National Agreement Government (GNA) controls Tripoli, but its authority is not recognized by a parallel administration in the east of the country, along with strongman Khalifa Haftar, who launched an attack surprise last week in the Libyan capital.
The UN said the clashes had displaced 3,400 people.
Refugees in central Zara told UNHCR that they were "scared and worried about their safety, given the fighting in the surrounding area and that they have few supplies", according to Zara. the press release.
The agency is reviewing reports of similar situations in other detention centers for refugees and migrants and is working to ensure that new centers are rehoused.
"Many refugees and migrants in Libya are suffering terrible depravities," UNHCR Deputy Chief of Mission in Libya, Matthew Brook, said in a statement.
"They are now facing a serious additional risk and should not be overlooked in efforts to keep all civilians safe from danger," he added.
UNHCR reiterated a warning that "living conditions in Libya are not safe for refugees and migrants who have been rescued or intercepted, and that they should not be returned".
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