- Title: Libyan coastguard rescues 500 off Tripoli - official
- Date: 29th August 2017
- Summary: TRIPOLI, LIBYA (AUGUST 29, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF LIBYAN COASTGUARD SHIP CARRYING MIGRANTS ARRIVING AT PORT VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS ON SHIP (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) UNITED NATIONS REFUGEE AGENCY (UNHCR) OFFICIAL, SOFIAN AL-SHAWESH, SAYING: "Today Libya's coastguard rescued 138 illegal migrants, including eight women, and we are providing them with medical assistance." VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS GETTING OFF SHIP MIGRANTS STANDING AT PORT VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS WALKING WOMEN MIGRANTS SITTING WITH UNITED NATIONS REFUGEE AGENCY (UNHCR) OFFICER WOMAN MIGRANT SITTING (SOUNDBITE) (English) ILLEGAL MIGRANT, PURITY (SURNAME UNKNOWN), SAYING: "My name is Purity and the reason why I entered the boats because I have (unintelligible) there, so, I want to go and meet them, that is why I entered the boats. I saw the lady catch me on top of sea, so that is why I get to this place. But right now, I don't know where you guys are taking me to because my brothers and my sister they don't know my whereabouts at this hour, no. So, if you don't mind you can tell me where you are taking us to, I will appreciate it." VARIOUS OF UNHCR WORKER WITH MIGRANTS
- Embargoed: 12th September 2017 13:38
- Keywords: International Organisation for Migration Libya's coastguard rescues more than 300 migrants women children sub-Saharan countries
- Location: TRIPOLI, LIBYA
- City: TRIPOLI, LIBYA
- Country: Libya
- Topics: Asylum/Immigration/Refugees,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0016W7N6MF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Libya's coastguard rescued nearly 500 migrants on Tuesday (August 29) at sea west of the capital Tripoli, a spokesman said, underlining the challenge of trying to slow an exodus from Africa and the Middle East.
The migrants included people from sub-Saharan countries, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.
A spokesman for Libya's naval forces told Reuters coastguards rescued 140 illegal migrants west of Tripoli early on Tuesday and another group of 164 migrants were rescued off Sabratha including seven women and six children. Later another group of 150 were rescued off Tripoli.
Hundreds of thousands of migrants have crossed the Libyan desert and taken to flimsy boats on the Mediterranean in the hope of reaching Europe in recent years.
A plan was agreed in Paris on Monday (August 28) by four European countries and three African states, including Libya, to support nations struggling to contain the flow of people. Leaders agreed on the principle of setting up a mechanism to identify legitimate migrants fleeing war and persecution, and to use the United Nations to register them in Niger and Chad so as to prevent them from being exploited by people smugglers. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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