A total of 137 asylum-seekers have been evacuated from Libya and arrived safely in Rwanda, according to Rwanda’s Ministry of Emergency Management. The group landed late Wednesday and includes individuals from several countries across the Horn of Africa, most notably Sudan, along with Eritrea, Ethiopia, and South Sudan.
The evacuees were transported from Libya as part of a humanitarian corridor operated under a 2019 memorandum of understanding between the Government of Rwanda, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the African Union. The agreement established an emergency transit mechanism designed to relocate vulnerable individuals trapped in Libya, particularly those held in dire conditions in detention centers or living in unsafe environments.
Upon arrival, the group was transferred to the Gashora Emergency Transit Center in eastern Rwanda. There, they will receive medical care, counseling, and protection while they await further processing and potential resettlement in third countries. The center serves as a temporary safe haven for refugees who are being relocated from Libya due to violence, abuse, or lack of access to basic human rights.
Libya has become a major hub for irregular migration in recent years, with thousands of asylum-seekers and migrants, many fleeing conflict, persecution, or economic hardship, using the country as a departure point toward Europe. However, Libya’s ongoing political instability and the proliferation of militias have turned the country into a dangerous transit zone, where many migrants find themselves detained, exploited, or abandoned.
According to the latest UNHCR figures, more than 2,760 migrants have been evacuated from Libya to Rwanda since the transit mechanism began in 2019. Of those, over 2,100 have already been successfully resettled in third countries.
