Refugees and asylum seekers who have been locked up in a remote Libyan detention centre for two years, after trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe, are calling to be released or transferred, to be visited by UN representatives, and to be considered for evacuation to a safe country. Hundreds of refugees were bused 180km southwest to Zintan detention centre, in the Nafusa mountains, after fighting broke out in the Libyan capital Tripoli in September 2018. They described escaping war or dictatorships in Sudan and Eritrea, before trying to cross the Mediterranean in 2017 and 2018. Caroline Gluck, a spokeswoman for the UN refugee agency, said her organisation has not had access to Zintan detention centre since February. “Access is not systematic and is contingent upon prior authorisation.”On holdEvacuations from Libya were put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, Ms Gluck said, but even if they begin again, refugees in Zintan detention centre cannot be chosen without staff visiting.

Source: The Irish Times September 27, 2020 14:10 UTC