GENEVA — The U.N. refugee agency said today it is being expelled from Libya without explanation despite being responsible for registering thousands of refugees in the North African country.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees received a note from Libyan authorities last week ordering it to cease its work and leave the country, said agency spokeswoman Melissa Fleming.
“We very much regret this decision,” she said. “We have not been given any reason by the Libyan authorities for why we should leave the country.”
Libyan officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fleming said the refugee agency is trying to negotiate with Libya and hopes the expulsion is only temporary.
The agency, which has been working in Libya since 1991, is important for people fleeing to Libya because the country has no procedure for registering asylum seekers and refugees. UNHCR also screens people for resettlement in a third country.
“UNHCR is the asylum system in Libya and this will leave a huge vacuum for the thousands of refugees and asylum seekers who are there already and of course those who continue to arrive steadily on boats,” said Fleming.
The agency tries to find a new home in another country for all the refugees. It says staying in Libya is not an option because they risk being returned to countries where they are not safe or held in Libyan detention centers. Many undertake a dangerous boat journey to get to Europe.
Libya has not signed up to the global refugee convention, which forbids nations to deport refugees to countries where they may face persecution.
Fleming said the agency has already registered around 9,000 refugees from the Palestinian territories, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia and other African countries.
In addition, there are about 3,700 asylum seekers in Libya, mostly from Eritrea, some of whom are held in detention centers, she said.
UNHCR also provides refugees and asylum seekers with shelter, medical care and other aid. It has 26 staff in the country, mostly local employees.
In a separate statement, UNHCR said it was worried about some 20 Eritreans who were rescued at sea trying to reach Malta from Libya. The passengers made distress calls Sunday and were finally rescued late Monday by Libyan authorities.
Fleming said Maltese and Italian maritime authorities ignored the distress calls and relied on Libya to rescue the people.
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