Swiss aid officials say there have been fewer refugees at Libya’s borders to Egypt and Tunisia following the air strikes in the country.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
Allied forces have been carrying out a third night of air attacks in Libya in a United Nations-mandated campaign to enforce a no-fly zone and protect civilians from Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi’s forces.
“The Allies’ air strikes have lead to some relief,” Toni Frisch, deputy director-general of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), told Swiss public radio.
Frisch said he hoped that the expected flood of refugees towards Egypt would not materialise, although there were still grave humanitarian problems in Libya.
The SDC has two teams stationed at the frontiers who are looking after people fleeing Libya, helping with the water supply and delivering medical help and supplies.
Frisch hopes that the SDC will soon be able to open an office in Benghazi, in the east of Libya, to help people in the besieged city.
The Geneva-based International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday that almost 4,900 Sub-Saharan Africans had arrived in Niger from Libya in recent days and added that 328,000 people had fled Libya to neighbouring countries in the past month.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported stable numbers at the border with Egypt.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss back UN resolution against Libya
This content was published on
It described the decision taken by the council in New York on Thursday as a measure to stop the violence against Libyan civilians and an impending humanitarian disaster. “Switzerland hopes the resolution will be put into force without delay,” the foreign ministry said. The ministry called for those found guilty of using force against people…
This content was published on
They have warned that the conflict will be “bloody” and that the allies, and in particular the United States, have to be sure what they want to achieve through their actions. Gaddafi has vowed a “long war” as US, British and French forces continued their strikes to enforce a United Nations-mandated no-fly zone over Libya.…
This content was published on
Albert Stahel, a professor of strategic studies at Zurich University’s Institute for Political Science, added that the only problem he foresaw was the use by Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi of human shields. Late on Thursday the UN Security Council authorised military action to curb Gaddafi, hours after he threatened to storm the rebel bastion of…
This content was published on
The ICRC is one of the few international aid agencies in Libya, alongside Médecins sans Frontières (MSF), working in the rebel-held eastern region. However, both are still unable to gain access to areas controlled by Moammar Gaddafi’s regime. “We always have to prepare for the worst. In this specific case, we have to prepare for…
This content was published on
For the past two weeks, unrest has been spreading across Libya, with protesters demanding the departure of the country’s leader, Moammar Gaddafi. The self-styled guide has led the country for more than 40 years and has warned he will fight till the end.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.