Flash update – Zwara incident, 16 July 2018

Mixed Migration Working Group mourns the loss of lives following horrid incident involving about 100 refugees and migrants locked in an abandoned truck outside Zwara.

In the early hours of Monday, 16 July 2018, an abandoned truck, holding ca. 100 migrants and refugees, was identified at the outskirts of Zwara (115km west of Tripoli). The individuals, largely from Guinea, Sudan, Syria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Morocco and from Libya, had been locked inside the sealed cargo container (used for transporting frozen food), together with some canisters of gasoline. When identified by local law enforcement actors, reportedly 11 of the individuals had passed away (at least 6 of them children, incl. 2 Libyan children), while others, in a critical condition, were brought to hospitals in the area, including in Zwara and Sabratha.

Reportedly, the truck was underway to an embarkation site west of Zwara, from where the individuals would have attempted to cross the Mediterranean Sea for Europe. In order to avoid a checkpoint, the driver allegedly abandoned the truck, leaving the trapped migrants and refugees in the sealed container.

While access to Zwara remains hazardous, in coordination and collaboration with the local authorities, MMWG members are providing emergency assistance, including immediate medical and psychosocial support, food, water and non-food items.

The fatalities of last night join the more than 1,000 others who, in trying to reach safer shores this year, have paid this journey with their lives. In June 2018 alone, one person died for every seven who crossed the Central Mediterranean. Moreover, in 2018, 11,3801 refugees and migrants have been intercepted/rescued at sea by the Libyan Coast Guard and disembarked in Libya.

Against this background, the MMWG reiterates its call to end the prevailing detention practice; for alternatives to detention; and for solutions for refugees and migrants stranded in Libya.

For further information, please contact:

Philippe Sacher, UNHCR MMWG Coordinator, sacher@unhcr.org, +216 29 961 248 /+218 (0)91 001 9423

Tanaz Khambatta, IOM MMWG Coordinator, tkhambatta@iom.int, +216 58 601 022 /+218 (0)91 001 1492