IOM Appeals for USD 49.2 Million to Help Migrants Caught Up in Libyan Violence
IOM has today increased its appeal for the Libyan crisis to US$49.2
million dollars, urging the international donor community to not
let up in responding to the crisis.
The funds would allow the Organization to assist in the
evacuation of up to 65,000 migrants caught up in the Libyan crisis,
including groups still inside the country. The appeal would also
enable IOM to continue providing humanitarian assistance including
food, water, shelter, medical care and medical travel assistance to
migrants who have fled Libya.
Despite the sharp drop in migrants crossing from Libya's borders
in recent days, large numbers of migrants are still arriving at Ras
Adjir at the Tunisian border and at Salum on the Egyptian border on
a daily basis.
Nearly 5,800 migrants arrived at the two borders on Sunday 6th
March, the majority at Salum.
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"IOM is greatly concerned at the plight of Libyans and migrants
who are still stranded inside Libya. Those managing to get out, in
particular Sub-Saharan Africans, are recounting to us terrible
stories of targeting, physical violence and of being held back from
leaving. We once again urge Libya to allow all those wanting to
leave the country safe passage out," says IOM Director General,
William Lacy Swing.
Since 20th February, nearly 213,000 migrants have fled to
Libya's borders with Tunisia, Egypt, Niger and now Algeria, an
estimated 15 per cent of its foreign population.
Tens of thousands more have been evacuated to various countries
such as Malta, Greece, Turkey and Sudan with several thousand of
them still stranded there and in need of assistance to get
home.
Although the vast majority of those migrants have now been
helped to get home through a concerted effort of governments and
organizations such as IOM and UNHCR, many thousands of migrants
still need evacuating.
Up until March 7th, IOM had evacuated 15,000 migrants by air and
sea to Egypt, Bangladesh, Ghana, Mali and other countries in just
over a week. Several hundreds more have been evacuated by road from
Libya.
More than 22,500 migrants were still in need of evacuation
assistance on 6th March, the bulk of them from Bangladesh. However,
these figures change on an almost hourly basis with migrants
leaving on flights home or because of new arrivals at the
borders.
Today, 7th March, IOM is evacuating nearly 600 Bangladeshi and
Ghanaian migrants from Tunisia co-funded by UNHCR, and assisting in
the evacuation of nearly 1,600 Egyptians to Cairo on British,
Italian, German, Spanish, Swedish planes.
"We need to keep the momentum up. IOM appreciates the rapid
response of governments and donors so far to the joint appeal by
IOM and UNHCR for assistance to carry out a mass evacuation of
migrants from Tunisia and Egypt. The longer the crisis continues in
Libya, the more people are going to need help," says Swing. "We
have to make sure their suffering is not prolonged."
In Ras Adjir/Djerba, Tunisia, Jean Philippe Chauzy, Tel: +41 79
285 4366, Email:
"mailto:pchauzy@iom.int">pchauzy@iom.int, or Jumbe Omari Jumbe,
Tel: +41 79 812 7734, Email:
href="mailto:jjumbe@iom.int">jjumbe@iom.int
In Salum, Egypt, Chris Lom, Tel: + 20101761.308, Email:
class="paragraph-link-no-underline" href=
"mailto:clom@iom.int">clom@iom.int
In Geneva, Switzerland, Jemini Pandya, Tel: +41 22 717 9486/+41
79 217 3374, Email:
"mailto:jpandya@iom.int">jpandya@iom.int