An estimated 2,000 migrants fleeing the conflict in Libya arrived
today, 18 March, at Dirkou in northern Niger.

IOM staff in the town, where the Organization has a migrant
transit and reception centre, said the migrants arrived in 18
trucks.

After several days on the road across the Libyan desert and in
northern Niger, the migrants arrived extremely hungry.

The arrivals bring the number of migrants stranded at Dirkou
where IOM is providing shelter, basic humanitarian assistance and
medical care to more than 4,200 people.

Dirkou, which is the last town in northern Niger before reaching
the Libyan border and the desert beyond, has a population of 4,000
people only.

With more than 6,000 mainly Nigerien migrants having crossed
into Niger form Libya since the crisis began, IOM and local
authorities are now bracing for another large arrival. Reports are
coming in of about 70 trucks carrying migrants having left Tumo and
Sebha in Libya for Dirkou. They are expected to arrive next
week.

Meanwhile, IOM’s evacuation efforts are continuing despite
depleting funds. The Organization has carried out its first
evacuation of stranded migrants from Algiera.

Yesterday, 204 Mauritanians, including 37 women and 48 children
who had been living in transit camps for more than two weeks, were
evacuated safely back to Mauritania by IOM with support from the
European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection
(ECHO). The operation was carried out in close coordination with
the Algerian Foreign Ministry, the Mauritanian Embassy in Algiers
and the Algerian Red Crescent.

Algeria has seen nearly 9,100 migrants arriving at its borders
in recent weeks. With another estimated 200 Bangladeshi migrants
currently stranded at the border in Ilizi governorate, a joint
IOM-ECHO mission is being carried out today to arrange the
evacuation of this group.

Although much progress has been made by IOM with support from
UNHCR in evacuating large numbers of migrants from Libya’s
borders with Egypt and Tunisia in particular (over 50,000 so far)
thousands of migrants still remain in camps awaiting evacuation
assistance as more migrants arrive on a daily basis.

IOM staff at both the Tunisian and Egyptian borders report that
those still waiting to return home are becoming increasingly
restive and frustrated. Several violent incidents have occurred
among and between migrant groups, with one migrant having died this
week from a knife attack at Salum on the Egyptian border.

"The situation for the migrants has been understandably
difficult. They are impatient to go home and reach safety. They
have already lost their money and possessions in addition to having
fled Libya in dangerous circumstances. IOM and partners are working
flat out to evacuate everyone who wants to go home as quickly as
possible. We all have to ensure that this critical assistance is
maintained at this level and look to continued support from donors
on this," says Mohammed Abdiker, IOM Director of Operations.

For further information, please contact:

In Ras Adjir/Djerba, Tunisia,

Jumbe Omari Jumbe

Tel: +41 79 812 7734

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

In Geneva, Switzerland

Jemini Pandya

Tel: +41 22 717 9486

       +41 79 217 3374

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