Pope Francis on Sunday made an appeal for the evacuation of refugees, who are currently in Libyan detention camps, through humanitarian corridors.
Thousands of migrants are in detention centers in Libya, as fighting escalates between forces loyal to the Tripoli-based government of national unity and those loyal to commander Khalifa Haftar, who is waging an offensive on the capital, Tripoli, the base of the UN-backed Fayez Al Sarraj’s internationally-recognized government.
“I make an appeal that especially the women, children and sick can be evacuated as soon as possible through humanitarian corridors,” Francis said during his Regina Coeli prayer on Sunday at the Vatican, reported Africa News.
He said the current situation in Libya, which was already very serious, has become even more dangerous due to the conflict under way.
Pope Francis also called for prayers for the people who lost their lives or suffered serious damage in the recent floods in South Africa.
“And we also pray for those who lost their lives or suffered serious damage from the recent floods in South Africa,” The Pope said. “May these brothers of ours not lack our solidarity and the concrete support of the international community.”
On Saturday, Libyan National Army forces, the armed forces loyal to strongman Khalifa Hifter launched air strikes on the Libyan capital. The airstike reportedly killed four people and wounded 20 others in Tripoli, Libya’s internationally recognized unity government confirmed on Sunday.
The armed forces, which are allied to a parallel government in the east, started an offensive three week ago to take the capital held by the internationally recognized government.
Last week the United Nations refugee agency evacuated 325 asylum seekers from the Qasr Bin Ghashir detention center in southern Tripoli following escalating violence. Around 140 refugees are expected to arrive in Rome from Libya on Monday.
