On November 19, 2020, the Rwandan Ministry of Emergency Management; announced on their official Twitter handle the safe arrival of the fourth group of 79 refugees and asylum seekers evacuated from Libya.
The ministry further stated that they would be accommodated in Gashora transit Center, a haven for the Libyan refugees and asylum seekers. The center is an Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM) center.
The 68 men and 11 women were all East African- with 33 being Eritrean, 42 Sudanese, and 4 Somali. They were subjected to a quick COVID-19 test upon arrival at the Rwandan airport.
Accommodation of Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Accommodation of refugees and asylum seekers from Libya is part of a September 10, 2019, agreement between the African Union, Rwanda, and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to move asylum seekers and refugees out of Libyan detention facilities.
The agreement saw the first batch of displaced persons arrive in Kigali on September 26, 2019. However, the entire relocation process got a temporary drawback following Rwanda’s lockdown and traveling restrictions prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
UNHCR Rwanda expressed their delight regarding the halted agreement’s resumption in a tweet posted on November 20, 2020.
“After several months of waiting and uncertainty, the resumption of evacuation flights from Libya to Rwanda is a fantastic message of hope for thousands of asylum seekers who will be able to reach safety in a welcoming and stable country like Rwanda,” the tweet read.
Situation in Libya
Speaking to the EastAfrican, Elsie Villechalane, Rwanda’s UNHCR spokesperson, explained Libya’s current condition.
“The situation is quite difficult; there are still thousands of people stranded in Libya, estimated to 45,000 of whom a great number are in detention centers,” Elsie said.
Amnesty International claims that tens of thousands of refugees and migrants in Libya are “trapped in a vicious cycle of cruelty” with little or no way of finding a legal pathway out in an article published on September 24, 2020.
“After enduring unconscionable suffering in Libya, refugees and migrants risk their lives at sea seeking safety in Europe, only to be intercepted, transferred back to Libya and delivered to the same abuses they sought to escape,” the article read.
The article further goes on to make another shocking revelation that on May 27, 2020, armed men opened fire on close to 200 migrants and refugees held by traffickers near the town of Mazda, leaving at least 30 dead and 11 others injured.
Moreover, racism and xenophobia face Refugees and migrants. The Libyan media is also accused of often using racist language when addressing blacks. COVID-19 has only worsened the situation. Over 5,000 migrants were forcibly expelled out of eastern Libya with accusations that they were “carriers of contagious diseases.”
It is important to note that while the refugees’ and migrants’ issue is at a critical state, Libya is also faced with insecurity, armed conflict, and lawlessness.
How many so far?
Rwanda’s Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Solagne Kayisire, says that 306 refugees and asylum seekers have been received at Rwanda’s ETM.
“121 persons have been resettled so far, 98 and 23 to Sweden and Canada, respectively. On December 2 and 3 this year, a group of 33 people at ETM will also depart to Sweden,” Solagne says.
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