Nigerians begin evacuation from Libya

TRIPOLI: Nigeria is starting flights to evacuate thousands of its citizens from Libya which will continue until all those wanting to return home have done so, its foreign minister said.

Nigerians have recently been the largest national group among African migrants travelling to Libya and trying to cross from there to Italy by sea.

Since local armed factions and Libya’s coast guard began blocking more migrants from leaving in July last year, large numbers have been trapped in Libya, where they often face dire conditions and abuse, including forced labour.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has in recent months accelerated a “voluntary return” programme to repatriate migrants from a number of countries. Nigeria now joins Niger in organising bilateral returns.

“The main objective, and we’re very focused on that objective, is to get these Nigerian citizens back home as quickly as possible,” Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyema told reporters during a visit to Tripoli on Saturday.

“Our president has made available all the resources necessary to repatriate all the Nigerians here.

“We have two planes arriving today and God willing we are hoping to evacuate anything up to 800 Nigerians today.”

Nigeria had been expecting to fly back about 5,500 migrants, Onyema said, but the situation on the ground made the actual number hard to ascertain.

Onyema was hosted by the government in Tripoli, which has struggled to assert its authority on the ground. — Reuters