Refugees and asylum seekers
The collaboration with the Libyan government is gradually expanding. Yet, the conditions of refugees and asylum seekers, especially in detention, remain unchanged. Persons UNHCR considers in need of international protection, including those intercepted at sea by Libyan authorities, are often detained and mistreated. UNHCR continues to assist persons in detention as well as targeted vulnerable cases in urban areas. Thanks to the collaboration with the Department for Combating Illegal Migration (DCIM),
UNHCR registers and assists refugees and asylum seekers. In 2013, 2,508 refugees and asylum seekers have been provided with assistance while cases considered to be particularly vulnerable, including pregnant women and women with young children, were released from detention following the advocacy by UNHCR.
In the detention centres in East Libya, medical assistance and relief items are urgently needed. For example, in June, 32 men from Eritrea and 15 women from Eritrea and from Somalia detained in Ajdabiya went on hunger strike because of the poor detention conditions. UNHCR’s partner CESVI visited them and UNCHR is now liaising with authorities to address the situation. In a separate mission to Ajdabiya on 16 June, UNHCR registered 44 Syrian refugees and distributed 200 mattresses, 200 blankets and 40 kitchen-‐sets. UNHCR and CESVI will soon start delivering financial assistance to hundreds of vulnerable persons fleeing from Syria.