42,000 refugees registered in Libya - UNHCR
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - More than 42,000 refugees and asylum seekers are registered in Libya, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced here Monday.
In a statement, the UNHCR said the Libyan coast guard had rescued 10,977 refugees and migrants at sea and returned them to Libya from the beginning of 2021 until now.
During this period, 360 migrants died and 570 others went missing off the Libyan coast on the central Mediterranean route, the same source said. UNHCR added that "the number of people returning to Libya in July has more than tripled, compared to the same period last year, which can be attributed to the easing of restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as to weather conditions favouring calmer seas.
It should be noted that up to 90 per cent of people crossing the Mediterranean to Europe start from Libya. The migrants rescued and brought back to the country end up in overcrowded reception centres across Libya, despite repeated international calls for their closure.
Libya has faced waves of irregular migration in recent years, exploited by trafficking networks that take advantage of the insecurity in the country. ---0- PANA BY/IS/BBA/RA 16Aug2021
