Violence in Libya: Sushma Swaraj Asks Indian Nationals to ‘Immediately’ Leave Tripoli

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday asked the Indian nationals in Tripoli to “leave immediately” after violence for the control of the Libyan capital escalated.

“Please ask your relatives and friends to leave Tripoli immediately. We will not be able to evacuate them later,” she tweeted.

In the last two weeks, the violence in the city intensified as several groups tried to take control of the capital city, Tripoli.

“Even after massive evacuation from Libya and the travel ban, there are over 500 Indian nationals in Tripoli. The situation in Tripoli is deteriorating fast. Presently, flights are operational,” the minister added.

Over 200 people were killed in Tripoli in the last two weeks since renegade Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar’s troops launched a strike to oust UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj from power.

Earlier today, the UN refugee agency said it has evacuated 163 people from Libya to Niger, the first such flight since fighting in the capital Tripoli escalated two weeks ago.

The clashes between rival factions for control of Libya’s capital have threatened to ignite a civil war on the scale of the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed long-time dictator Muammar Gadhafi.

The Geneva-based agency said in a statement that the refugees from various African nations included dozens of women and children. Libyan authorities had previously detained them stopping their passage to Europe.

The agency’s head, Filippo Grandi, said that “given the situation in Libya, humanitarian evacuations are a lifeline for detained refugees whose lives are in jeopardy.”

The agency says over 3,000 migrants remain trapped in detention near the fighting.

Source: TNN

Image Courtesy: WP