UN transfers 164 refugees from Libya to Rwanda in emergency evacuation

ISTANBUL

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in Rwanda said early on Thursday that the agency transferred 164 refugees and asylum seekers from Libya to Rwanda overnight in an emergency evacuation.

The latest evacuation raised the total number of people moved since 2019 to 2,924, of whom 2,585 have been resettled abroad, the agency wrote on the US social media company X.

Rwanda has been hosting asylum seekers and refugees evacuated from Libya under an agreement first signed with the UN agency and the African Union in 2019.

The deal established an Emergency Transit Mechanism in Gashora Sector, Bugesera District, providing shelter, protection, and lifesaving support while UNHCR assesses refugees for resettlement to third countries.

The program, supported by the EU, has been expanded twice, most recently in January 2024, increasing capacity to 700 people and extending operations.