Manpower export to Libya halted

The government has suspended exporting manpower to Libya in the face of severe conflicts involving different forces in the North African country.
The decision was made as different groups are continuously carrying out attacks in the areas adjacent to the airports of Libya, Khondaker Showkat Hossain, secretary of the expatriates' welfare and overseas employment ministry, told The Daily Star yesterday.
Earlier on Thursday, in a press statement, the foreign ministry advised all Bangladeshi nationals not to travel to Libya until the situation in the trouble-torn country became stable.
The secretary, however, said the government would resume the manpower export to Libya as soon as the situation improved there.
Around 5000 Bangladeshis went to Libya in the first half of this year for work purpose, according to the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training.
Currently, over 45,000 Bangladeshis are working in various sectors of the country.
But they are passing their days fearing assaults on them as Libya has recently become unsafe and volatile due to conflicts among different groups there.
 At least six Bangladeshi workers were killed in such conflicts between February 1 and June 22. Most of them died in Benghazi which accommodates the largest number of Bangladeshis, said officials at the Bangladesh embassy in Tripoli.
The migrants in Libya have recently been advised to remain alert and avoid conflict zones, said Ahsan Kibria Siddiqui, first secretary (labour) at the Bangladesh mission.