TRIPOLI, March 8 (NNN-Xinhua) — The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that 35 refugees were flown out of Libya on Sunday to be resettled in Europe.
“Monday, 35 refugees, including families and babies, were flown out of Libya to be resettled in Europe,” UNHCR said in a statement.
“Resettlement is a vital lifeline, providing some of the most vulnerable refugees a new start in a safe country, where they can access education, healthcare, and other social services, as well as the right to work and study,” the statement added.
The statement called on the international community to provide additional slots for resettlement and other durable solutions to help move more vulnerable refugees out of Libya.
Many illegal immigrants, mostly from Africa, choose to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores from Libya which has been suffering chaos since 2011 when former leader Muammar Qaddafi was overthrown.
So far this year, nearly 3,000 illegal immigrants have been rescued at sea and returned to Libya, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). — NNN-XINHUA
