On Monday, Chargé d’Affairs of the Libyan Embassy in Ukraine, Adel Bin Issa stated that all stranded Libyan nationals in the eastern-Ukrainian city of Sumy, which was under heavy shelling by Russian forces, were successfully evacuated.
In a statement, Bin Issa called on all Libyan nationals residing in eastern Ukraine to gather in the city of Lviv. This is to prepare for evacuation through the Polish border, given the traffic congestion at the border crossing with Slovakia.
The Libyan diplomat confirmed that the Embassy’s work is temporarily underway in Lviv, in order to facilitate all travel procedures for the Libyan community stranded in Ukraine.
The first batch, comprising of 165 nationals were evacuated from Ukraine through Slovak territory. They arrived at Tripoli’s Mitiga International Airport on a special Afriqiyah chartered flight. Several additional flights are scheduled, to ensure all citizens are successfully evacuated.
Several government officials were at the airport to receive the first evacuation flight, including Minister of Housing and Construction, Abu Bakr Al-Ghawi and Minister of Local Government, Badr Al-Din Al-Toumi.
“The number of stranded Libyans who crossed the European borders (Slovakia, Poland, and Romania) through the Embassy or on their own until today has exceeded 1,500 citizens, and they are in good health,” Bin Issa added.
On Monday, the Libyan Embassy in Ukraine announced it has been temporarily moved from Kyiv, to the western city of Lviv, near the Polish border.
Bin Issa added that the move was a result of the military operations, and the deterioration of the situation in Kyiv. The step follows other Arab and foreign embassies, “in order to facilitate the provision of the best consular services, and the necessary facilities for our citizens, until the situation stabilizes.”
“I will remain at the Embassy in Kyiv until the last Libyan citizen leaves the capital and its suburbs,” he said.
Bin Issa announced on Saturday that they have begun the evacuation process of some Libyan families and students.
In press statements, the diplomat said that 200 Libyan citizens who were stuck in the eastern city of Dnipro, close to the Russian border, were successfully transferred to a safe area in Kyiv.
He pointed out that the Embassy provided accommodation, ahead of evacuating them via the border crossing with Slovakia.
Bin Issa also denied news being circulated online that a Libyan student had died during the ongoing military operations.