An IOM-sponsored convoy of 13  trucks  carrying more than
840 African migrants has crossed into Chad after travelling from
the southern Libyan town of Sebha.

The migrants, the vast majority Chadians but also including some
Nigerians, have reached the remote Chadian border town of
Zouarké where IOM staff have met them with fresh supplies
and assistance.

The group, which consists of men women and children, is part of
a large number of African migrants in need of evacuation assistance
from Sebha. Many of them are at the IOM centre in Sebha receiving
food, water and shelter assistance on a daily basis.

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The migrants at Zouarké are now being escorted by IOM
across the Chadian desert to Faya Largeau, a land journey that will
take another few days. Staff at the IOM centre in the town will
provide the migrants with food, water, medical assistance and a
place to rest upon arrival.

The migrants will eventually be taken to the Chadian capital,
N'Djamena, from where all the migrants will be assisted to reach
their homes in Chad or Nigeria.

This second land evacuation from Sebha funded by the European
Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection office (ECHO)
and Germany follows a previous evacuation in October when more than
1,220 Africans representing 12 different nationalities were
assisted.

In the meantime, IOM has stepped up air evacuations of African
migrants from Tripoli, heading towards various final destinations
in Africa.

Nearly 1,030 Nigeriens, Malians and Nigerians have been taken
home by IOM on chartered flights from Tripoli since the beginning
of November.

The evacuated Nigerians were among an estimated 800 Nigerians
including women and children who took shelter at the port city of
Sid Bilal near Tripoli at the height of the violence. IOM medical
staff who provided travel health assistance to those being
evacuated said the migrants were in good health despite having
lived in very rough conditions for some time with little food and
water.

IOM is planning further air evacuations of stranded Gambian,
Senegalese, Malian, Ghanaian and Nigerian migrants who want to
return home after working closely with National Transitional
Council counterparts on the implementation of an interim strategy
for the protection and repatriation of stranded migrants in Tripoli
and in Sebha.

Despite the end of hostilities in Libya which have seen more
than 764,000 migrants flee the country, including more than 200,000
Africans, groups of migrants still want to leave Libya and require
assistance.

In many cases, stranded African migrants remain exposed on a
daily basis to arbitrary detention, harassment and persecution. The
lack of diplomatic representation for many African nationalities is
also making it much harder to conduct citizenship verification and
to issue travel documents.

To date and using land, sea and air transport, IOM and partners
have assisted more than 216,000 migrants fleeing the Libyan crisis
to return to their home countries.

BROADCASTERS, PLEASE NOTE, RECENT B-ROLL VIDEO FOOTAGE OF
MIGRANTS IN FIRST LAND CONVOY FROM SEBHA ARRIVING IN CHAD IS
AVAILABLE FOR USE AS BACKGROUND FOOTAGE AT THE FOLLOWING LINK WITH
SHOTLIST:

"http://www.quicklink.tv/IOM/download.asp?Clip_ID=1253" target=
"_blank" title=
"">http://www.quicklink.tv/IOM/download.asp?Clip_ID=1253

For more information please contact:

Jeremy Haslam

IOM Libya

Tel: +218 917122709

E-mail: "mailto:jhaslam@iom.int">jhaslam@iom.int

 

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