Rwanda receives 119 more asylum seekers evacuated from Libya

By The Inspirer.

In partnership with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Rwanda welcomed its nineteenth group of refugees and asylum seekers from Libya on Thursday, September 26.

The group, consisting of 119 individuals, arrived as part of the ongoing Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM) aimed at evacuating vulnerable refugees trapped in detention in Libya.

The ETM, established through a memorandum of understanding, is designed to provide life-saving protection and assistance, along with long-term solutions for refugees in need. The latest arrivals include 41 Sudanese, 36 Eritreans, 12 Somalis, 17 Ethiopians, and 13 South Sudanese nationals.

Upon arrival, the refugees will be hosted at the Gashora Transit Centre in Bugesera District, as confirmed by the Ministry of Emergency Management (MINEMA).

Philippe Habinshuti, Permanent Secretary at MINEMA, highlighted that the initial focus is on ensuring the safety and well-being of the asylum seekers, given the hardships they endured in Libya.

“Once their safety is secured, we work with our partners to find durable solutions. They can either continue their journey to a third country or choose to stay and integrate into Rwanda as refugees,” Habinshuti explained.

Additionally, he noted that some may opt to return to their home countries, and Rwanda is committed to supporting them in this decision.

Earlier, on June 14, Rwanda received the eighteenth group of 113 refugees from South Sudan, Eritrea, Sudan, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, and Somalia, under the same initiative.

Belen Calvo Uyarra, the European Union envoy to Rwanda, stated that the EU has contributed 22 million euros to support the ETM in Rwanda.

“We have also supported a similar initiative in Niger, which is currently being addressed. For the Rwandan mechanism, we are considering an additional 11 million euros over the next few years,” she said.

Since the first group of 66 refugees arrived in September 2019, Rwanda has welcomed over 2,400 asylum seekers, with 1,835 of them resettled in third countries.

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