TUNISIA: Food is thrown to desperately hungry crowds gathered at Tunisia-Libya border

Record ID: 346144

  • Title: TUNISIA: Food is thrown to desperately hungry crowds gathered at Tunisia-Libya border
  • Date: 2nd March 2011
  • Summary: RED CRESCENT TRUCKS PARKED AT SITE EXTERIOR OF ARMY HOSPITAL MEDICAL SOLDIER EXPLAINING HOSPITAL MORE INTERIOR VIEWS OF HOSPITAL
  • Embargoed: 17th March 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Tunisia, Tunisia
  • Country: Tunisia
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA3QVJGLZI1XL0DIS1JFTWVGR3T
  • Story Text: Tunisian civil defence members tossed food on Tuesday (March 1) to crowds of people clamouring to get through a border crossing to escape the violence in neighbouring Libya.
    "I don't think it will change anything, frankly, unless there is an organised (method). I mean, there are two ways - either you go in there, try to organise it or expand your transit facility and draw them in. I think we trying to do both. The figures are so daunting, they are not giving us a break to try to put an effective system to do that kind of shuttle service," said Ayman Gharaybeh, team leader for the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees (UNHCR) onsite.
    Border guards were letting people, mostly foreigners who had been working in Libya, through the crossing at Ras Jdir but could not process them through immigration fast enough to keep up with the numbers arriving.
    The crowd was pressed up against a concrete wall dividing the no man's land between the Libyan and Tunisian border posts.
    At intervals, Tunisian border guards would open a blue metal gate to let a small group through.
    A Reuters reporter saw at least three people being taken out of the crowd by medical teams from the Red Crescent after fainting in the crush of bodies, and volunteers threw bottles of water over the wall into the crowd.
    The UNHCR extended its camp near the border overnight, erecting tents with a capacity to accommodate 10,000 people. The organisation was preparing to put in more tents to increase the camp's capacity to 20,000.
    A Tunisian army colonel said his forces were managing the flow of refugees through the border, but needed foreign governments to do more to transport their citizens home.
    "We call on all the people that are interested in this and the international committee to help, and this is of great importance. After a long journey and a lot of hardship now they are relaxing and in a few days they need to move on so we can make room for more refugees," said Colonel Essousi.
    Tens of thousands of people, mostly migrant workers, have fled Libya since an uprising against the four-decade rule of Muammar Gaddafi led to a violent crackdown by his security forces.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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