Hundreds return to Libya in desperate bid to reach Europe by boat

GENEVA, 17 May 2011 (UNHCR<)⎯Hundreds of people who had fled Libya for Tunisia and Egypt in recent weeks, have crossed back into Libya with the intention of boarding boats to reach Europe. Among them are refugees, including members of the Somali, Ethiopian and Eritrean communities in the camps at Shousha near Tunisia’s border with Libya.Read more<

UNHCR calls on States to uphold principles of rescue-at-sea and burden sharing

GENEVA, 8 APRIL 2011 (UNHCR<)—In light of the massive loss of life in the Mediterranean this week in a refugee boat capsizing, UNHCR is calling on the European Union (EU) to urgently put into place more reliable and effective mechanisms for rescue-at-sea.Read more<

Pope deeply moved by death of migrants fleeing Libya

VATICAN CITY, 7 APRIL 2011 (Zenit<)—The tragic death of some 250 migrants fleeing Libya has deeply moved Benedict XVI, a Vatican spokesman said today.

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EU to admit Africans from Libya

24 March 2011 (The European Voice<)—Member states and European Commission will meet tomorrow to discuss fate of thousands of Africans who have fled Libya.Read more<

ICMC responds to emergency situation in Libya, urgently deploying protection experts to Egypt and Tunisia

GENEVA, 17 March 2011—Amid urgent calls for the protection of those fleeing violence in Libya, ICMC bolsters key partnerships and rapidly deploys six refugee protection experts to UNHCR emergency resettlement operations in Egypt and Tunisia, assisting efforts to find solutions for the increasing number of refugees in the region.Read more<

Holy See expresses grief over Libya situation

GENEVA, 27 February 2011 (ZENIT<)—The Holy See is expressing "consternation and grief" due to the bloody repression of the protests taking place in Libya at present, said Archbishop Silvano Tomasi.Read more<