News
Global
24 July 2006

More Stranded Migrants Evacuated

An IOM convoy is today evacuating up to 200 stranded Iraqis from
Lebanon to the Syrian capital, Damascus. The group will join other
Iraqis who had already made their own way to Syria, some of whom
have requested to be flown back to Iraq later this week

The evacuation of the Iraqis follows assistance given to a group of
266 Sudanese including three infants who were flown to Khartoum
from Damascus late last night. Those who were assisted were part of
a group of more than 700 Sudanese who had already managed to escape
Lebanon in the past week and had reached the city of Hums.

IOM is organizing a second flight to Khartoum repatriating about
170 more Sudanese which is likely to leave Damascus later
today.

At least another 1,500 Bangladeshi, Ethiopians Sri Lankans,
Filipinos and Ghanaians are expected to be evacuated by IOM from
Lebanon in the next few days.

In order to meet the escalating and urgent demands for the
evacuation of those foreigners who are stranded in Lebanon without
money or papers and with governments without the resources to
assist them, IOM has released US$750,000 from an emergency fund.
The Organization has appealed for US$14 million to provide
evacuation assistance from Lebanon and Syria and humanitarian
assistance for internally displaced people in Lebanon but it is
likely that this may need to be revised to reflect an evolving
crisis.

IOM has now been asked by 19 governments to help their nationals
who are currently stranded in Lebanon, some in difficult to access
locations. Various individual requests are also coming in with
numbers growing by the day. IOM has been made aware of a minimum of
11,600 people who need evacuation assistance urgently from the
following countries: Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, Ethiopia,
Gabon, Ghana, Iraq, Madagascar, Mali, Moldova, Nepal, Paraguay,
Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Sudan,
Venezuela and Vietnam.

With increasing numbers of calls for help by individuals, some
by people whose employers are refusing to let them go, IOM has also
set up a helpline number for those needing assistance to contact.
The number is: +961 70 972 520.

This week’s evacuations follow the first evacuation
assistance given last week to a group of 270 Sri Lankans, mainly
single women working as domestic servants. They were transported by
land to Damascus before being flown to Sri Lanka.

Another seven IOM staff members will be arriving in Lebanon
today in meet the growing demand for assistance.

For further information, please contact:

Jean Philippe Chauzy

IOM Geneva

Tel: + 41 22 717 9361/mobile: + 41 79 285 4366

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

Jemini Pandya

IOM Geneva

Tel: + 41 22 717 9486/mobile: + 41 79 217 3374

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

Related Information

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