Refugees evacuated from Libya locked inside with no escape during bombings in Tripoli
Niamey, 19 April
Louise Donovan, UNHCR
Sudanese family of seven who were evacuated from Libya to Niger during ongoing clashes (UNHCR/Juan Haro).
âWe would hear loud bangs. The room would shake. We begged them to open the door so we could escape but instead they locked us in small cellsâ says Khadmalla, who fled insecurity in Sudan with her elderly mother and seven siblings more than a year ago, only to find themselves detained in Tripoli.
Khadmalla and her family are amongst 163 refugees who were successfully evacuated from Libya to Niger last in the early hours of this morning, amidst clashes and ongoing violence in Libya. The group was made up of extremely vulnerable refugees, including more than 40 unaccompanied children, all of whom have recently been freed from detention.
Eritrean refugee Faradou with her four children arrive in Niamey airport from Tripoli (UNHCR/Juan Haro).
âThe last weeks have been the worst. The children were terrified with the sounds of the fightingâŠThey were told to be quiet and the guards threatened to take one of my children away from me if they would not be quietâ says Faradou, stroking her daughterâs hair. She was forced to flee Eritrea when her husband was arrested for absenting himself from military service for the birth of his daughter. She arrived to Niamey airport in the early hours of the morning, with her young children trailing behind her, looking exhausted but relieved.
Since the escalation of the conflict in Tripoli a fortnight ago, UNHCR has managed to relocate 539 refugees from detention centres located in conflict zones to safety. However, more than 3,000 remain trapped. Despite the difficult circumstances, this group was lucky enough to be evacuated last night. However, without expedited departures for resettlement from Niger to enable further evacuations, more refugees will remain trapped.
Since the beginning of the Emergency Transit Mechanism in November 2017, a total of 2,782 refugees have arrived to Niger from Tripoli. However, the escalation of the conflict and the life threating scenario unfolding in Libya require shared responsibility and a more concerted international effort to save lives.
âNiger is an example of solidarity in action. But it cannot do this alone, there must be shared responsibility. The international community has a duty to protect these vulnerable refugees in such a critical momentâ said Alessandra Morelli, UNHCR Representative in Niger.
Mehertab, an Eritrean refugee spent 2 years in Libya. He is grateful to be free, but pleads that his brothers are not abandoned (UNHCR/Juan Haro).
As the refugees gathered their meager belongings to depart the airport, an extremely thin man, Mehertab, approached. âTell the worldâ he said. âThey abandoned us, we had nothing, no food or water. So many people who were sick and couldnât moveâŠthey are right in the line of fire between the two forces right now. Their lives are more and more at risk each passing dayâ he adds.
