Ever Increasing Numbers of Sub-Saharan Africans Arrive in Niger from Libya with Reports of Many Thousands More Stranded in Libya
Nearly 4,900 Sub-Saharan Africans have arrived in Niger from Libya
in recent days with reports coming in to IOM that many thousands
more are either en route to the northern Nigerien town of Dirkou or
stranded in the southern Libyan city of Sabha.
IOM staff in Dirkou, where the Organization has a migrant
reception and transit centre, report that with so many people in
the town which itself has a population of only 4,000, a special
military convoy was organized to escort nearly 4,600 Nigerien
returnees and other African migrants to Agadez last Friday. Among
the migrants were more than 100 women and children.
The 4,900 migrants arrived in Dirkou between 17-20 March, with
more than 2,400 on the 18th alone. The sudden influx brings
the total arrival into Niger since the crisis began to nearly 9,750
Africans, mainly Nigeriens.
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Another 20 trucks carrying Sub-Saharan African migrants are
expected to arrive imminently with an additional 50 trucks
reportedly en route to Dirkou from Madama on the Niger-Libyan
border.
Migrants who have arrived in Niger have told IOM of many tens of
thousands of other African migrants stranded in Sabha, unable to
leave Libya because they don't have any means of getting transport
to take them south.
Meanwhile, IOM is continuing to evacuate thousands of migrants
stranded on the Egyptian and Tunisian borders with Libya.
With support from governments and partners including UNHCR, more
than 58,000 migrants have been assisted to return home. An
injection of new funds totalling USD 8.5 million from the British
government's Department for International Development (DFID) and
Australia late last week is ensuring that those stranded at the
Egyptian and Tunisian borders are evacuated as quickly as
possible.
Evacuations have increasingly focused on Sub-Saharan Africans,
particularly a large group of Chadians on the Egyptian border with
Libya.
However, increasingly difficult security conditions have put a
hold on IOM road evacuations from the Libyan port city of Benghazi
to Salum on the Egyptian border. The port transit facilities have
been closed since 16th March. Up until then, IOM evacuated nearly
2,160 people from Benghazi.
About 328,000 people have now crossed into Tunisia, Egypt,
Algeria and Niger in the past month.
For further information, please contact:
Jemini Pandya
IOM Geneva
Tel: +41 22 717 9486
+41 79 217 3374
E-mail:
"mailto:jpandya@iom.int">jpandya@iom.int
or
Jumbe Omari Jumbe
Tel: +41 22 717 9405
+41 79 812 7734
E-mail:
"mailto:jjumbe@iom.int">jjumbe@iom.int