Call for int'l help

Tunisian volunteers distribute food among displaced Bangladeshis at Choucha camp in Tunisia yesterday. Photo: Morshed Ali Khan

In the face of acute fund crisis and shutting down of repatriation from Libya, IOM and UNHCR yesterday once again appealed for cooperation to international communities for one of the biggest evacuation initiatives in history.
In a communiqué from International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Geneva, its Director General William Lacy Swing said over a million people from sub-Saharan and other countries are stranded in Libya who may soon be required to be evacuated.
“The IOM and UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) appeal to the international communities to come forward with funds and logistical assets for the second phase of the massive operation to avert humanitarian catastrophe,” said the communiqué.
Meanwhile, the IOM director general directed his office to use its emergency fund to continue with the evacuation and repatriation of migrant workers from Libya.
The joint plea comes on a day [yesterday] when the IOM and UNHCR were supposed to meet the representatives of donors and developed western countries in Geneva.
IOM sources in Zarzis told The Daily Star that the meeting did not take place for unknown reasons.
Meanwhile, repatriation of more stranded migrant workers, including thousands of Bangladeshis, has brought the number of refugees at Choucha camp down to 9,000 from 17,000 till yesterday.
According to UNHCR, after today's repatriation, 6,010 Bangladeshis at the camp will still be expecting repatriation.
António Guterres, UN high commissioner for refugees, said in the communiqué that the humanitarian crisis involving Libyan uprising was far from over. 300,000 people have already fled Libya and needed assistance to be evacuated and repatriated because a war situation prevails there.
“We are trying to find a solution to that problem as well,” he said.
Unavailability of aircraft has reduced the number of flights for the Bangladeshis from Djerba airport today, according to the control room there set up by the IOM.
“There is only one flight carrying 234 people to Bangladesh,” said Pierre King of IOM, adding, “ there should be some efforts from the Bangladesh government to chip in for more flights to take its nationals home,” he said.