EU: aid workers need more access to Libya

Closed borders putting ‘more people at risk’ after 180,000 flee turmoil and violence.

Kristalina Georgieva, the European commissioner for humanitarian aid, has said that she is “increasingly worried” about the humanitarian situation in Libya and that there might be “substantial” needs that are not currently being met.

Georgieva made her comments today (4 March) after returning from the Tunisian border with Libya, which close to 100,000 people – mainly Egyptians – have crossed in the last couple of weeks.

In all, around 180,000 people are thought to have fled Libya, mostly to Tunisia and Egypt and, in smaller numbers, to Algeria and Chad. No arrivals of Libyans in Malta or Italy have been reported so far.

Georgieva said that she was “determined” to find a solution for the overcrowding at the border. According to EU officials, up to 50 flights are expected out of Djerba, a popular tourist destination in Tunisia, to get Egyptians back to their home country, as the airport there is reaching its capacity. Several EU member states have also begun to ferry Egyptians out with warships, and more ships are needed.

Only 204 EU nationals were still waiting for evacuation from Libya this morning, out of a total of more than 1,300, according to a senior EU official.

Aid access

Georgieva said that it was unclear how many people might want to flee Libya. She called for the Libyan authorities, but also on the insurgents who control large parts of the country, to allow humanitarian workers into the country. “Restricted humanitarian access is putting even more people at risk and is prolonging suffering,” she said.

Yesterday (3 March), the European Commission announced that it would increase its humanitarian aid from €10 million to €30m. The funding is primarily earmarked for partner organisations such as UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency, and the International Organization for Migration.