Panafrican News Agency

Some 217,000 people displaced in Libya by conflict, says EU

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Some 217,000 people have been displaced by the conflict in Libya, the European Union (EU) Mission revealed, while the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has recorded the presence of 43,000 refugees and asylum seekers in the country.

These figures were unveiled in a statement issued on Thursday, by the European Union Mission in Libya during the visit of the EU ambassador to Tripoli, José Sabadell, and the head of the European Union Humanitarian Aid Office, Elke Leidel, to the Community Day Centre and Serraj's office in Tripoli.

The EU Mission noted that the two offices are among the locations where the UNHCR in Libya registers and assists IDPs, refugees and asylum seekers.

It stressed that IDPs, registered refugees and asylum seekers, and many of the communities hosting them need some form of assistance or support, be it in the form of medical care, food, health items or resettlement support.

The Mission noted that the European Union is one of the main donors to the UNHCR in Libya in its work to provide support to these vulnerable people and those in need of international protection.

Libya has experienced a decade of instability, marked by armed clashes in the wake of the 17 February 2011 revolution, leading to security chaos, forcing thousands of Libyans to abandon their homes.

This was particularly during the attack on Tripoli and the western region by the forces of Marshal Khalifa Haftar, between 4 April 2019 and early June 2020.

-0- PANA BY/JSG/BBA/MA 11June2021