Foreign nationals flee deadly violence in Libya

(Baonghean)-Foreigners in Libya are leaving the country to avoid becoming victims of violence. On Sunday, August 3, a Royal Marines ship began evacuating British citizens residing in Libya.

Foreign nationals wait to be evacuated at the Libya/Tunisie border on August 3. Photo: AFP/ F Nasri

The HMS Enterprise, which is on a mission in the Mediterranean, arrived in Tripoli, the Libyan capital, on Sunday, the British defence secretary said. The Royal Fleet "is helping British nationals leave Libya, at the request of the Foreign Secretary," Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said in a statement.

Around 100 British nationals were evacuated from the 100 to 300 people temporarily staying in Libya. A British government source said HMS Enterprise was also picking up citizens of other countries who wished to leave Libya.

In 2011, a similar evacuation operation was carried out by a ship of the Royal Fleet when riots broke out following the execution of Mouammar Kadhafi and military intervention from several Western countries.

Egypt has also expressed concern for the mass exodus of Egyptians. Thousands of Egyptian refugees gathered at the Tunisian border this weekend. They were finally evacuated after days of tense waiting and pressure from the Libyan side. Dozens of them were taken by bus from the Ras Jedir border station to Djerba airport, more than 100 kilometers to the north, where flights to Egypt are available. About 100 others were waiting to be taken by bus to the airport. According to Egyptian Civil Aviation Minister Mohamed Hossam El-Dine, 1,796 people were brought to Djerba earlier, 1,355 more were brought there on Sunday, and five flights to Egypt were scheduled for the day, according to the official Egyptian news agency.

As of Saturday evening, August 2, around 6,000 people were waiting to be repatriated. Libya, Egypt and Tunisia did not say how many remained on Sunday. "Their condition is very critical, many have not eaten for five or six days," a representative of the regional Red Cross told AFP.

Violence in Libya has killed at least 200 people and injured 1,000 in two weeks, the country's health ministry said. The Islamist-nationalist conflict that has poisoned the political atmosphere for months has now moved to the battlefield where rival military forces are fighting. In the capital Tripoli, shootings and bombings broke out again on Saturday, August 2, on the road leading to the airport, along with clashes in several southern neighborhoods. Twenty-two people were killed and 72 injured in Tripoli on Saturday, August 2. (Le Monde)

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