The Italy based NGO, Refugees in Libya, said it isconcerned about the spread of misleading information that suggests African refugees are being resettled in Libya.
The NGO was reacting to the groundswell of anti-migrant sentiment in Libya culminating in the demonstration last Thursday of about 1,500 people in front of the UNHCR’s Tripoli HQ in the Sirraj district.
The demonstrators chanting ‘‘No to resettlement. Libya is for Libyans’’, emptied a lorry-full of soil in front of the UNHCR’s gate.
The Tripoli government has consistently reiterated that it has no plans to allow the resettlement of illegal migrants or refugees in Libya. However, the Libyan public do not trust the Libyan government and do not believe its pronouncements.
The NGO Refugees in Libya said this resettlement policy claim is incorrect, and there is no international agreement stating that refugees from Africa will be resettled in Libya. It said the closure of UN offices based on misinformation is deeply regrettable and only makes the situation more difficult.
The proper approach is for authorities to engage through official channels with international organizations and address refugee issues based on facts, law, and humanitarian principles, the NGO said.
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Tripoli based Libyan government reaffirms rejection of settlement of illegal refugees or migrants
