TRIPOLI, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- The UN migration agency is carrying out an emergency support plan to assist migrants in Libya, especially in the west, UN Support Mission in Libya said in a report on Thursday.
"In the aftermath of weeks of conflict in the Libyan coastal city of Sabratha, at least 14,000 migrants, previously held in numerous informal detention centres and camps, have been transferred to a hangar in the city's Dahman area, where the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is providing emergency assistance," the support mission said.
IOM has provided food, water and core relief packages, which include mattresses, blankets, pillows and hygiene kits to 2,600 migrants who are the first batch to be kept in the hangar. More food and emergency assistance will be provided in the coming days for all migrants in the hangar.
Due to the insecurity and chaos that followed the 2011 uprising, thousands of migrants choose to depart from Libya across the Mediterranean towards European shores. Those who are rescued at sea by Libyan navy are detained in reception centers with poor living conditions.
The IOM also said the opportunity will be available for migrants wishing to return to their home countries within the organization's Voluntary Humanitarian Return Assistance Program.
