Libya - IOM yesterday (19/05) facilitated a high level inter-agency visit to the Abu-Saleem Detention Centre, which is hosting 450 migrants as of May 2016. The delegation was led by Martin Kobler, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and included IOM Libya Chief of Mission, Othman Belbeisi.

“While reaffirming the value of these visits, I stress on the importance to continue monitoring the conditions in which irregular migrants are being held and at the same time advocate against their detention and work towards identifying suitable longer-term solutions,” said IOM Libya Chief of Mission Othman Belbeisi.

On the same day, IOM facilitated the voluntary return of 171 Senegalese migrants, including one medical case, to their home country by chartered flight (report here).

IOM is currently monitoring the flow of migrants in Libya through the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), which focuses on identifying and locating areas hosting IDPs, returnees, and migrants, including those in detention.

Since launching DTM (Jan 2016), IOM has identified 417,123 IDPs, 149,160 returnees and 234,669 migrants. In an effort to improve coordination and harmonize approaches of data collection on the displaced and migrant populations in Libya, IOM is currently carrying out a two-day workshop with its local implementing partners in Tunis.

To read the latest report, the DTM Round 3 March-April 2016, please visit: http://www.globaldtm.info/libya/ 

For further information, please contact Othman Belbeisi at IOM Libya, Tel: +216 29 600389, Email: obelbeisi@iom.int, or Ashraf Hassan, Tel: +216 29 794707, Email: ashassan@iom.int