EU gives €22 million support to Libyan refugees in Rwanda

The European Union has offered an additional support of €22 million (approx. Rwf25 billion) to refugees and asylum seekers from Libya hosted in Rwanda. These refugees –mainly from the Horn of Africa countries –whose hopes to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Libya to Europe were cut short, are sheltered at the Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM) centre in Gashora, Bugesera District. ALSO READ: Inside Gashora transit centre hosting refugees from Libya The centre was set up as a result of a tripartite agreement signed between the government of Rwanda, the African Union and the UNHCR. The centre can host a total of 700 refugees at once. Aissatou Ndiaye, UNHCR Country Representative, said the funding allows the organisation to provide a number of services including shelter, access to health, psychosocial support, and livelihood training for evacuees during the processing of their documents for resettlement to third countries. “The needs of asylum seekers and refugees trapped in Libya are immense. Through the ETM and the Government of Rwanda's support solutions are being found to bring them to safety...over the next years, we aim to support about 3,000 more people to find solutions to their plight.” Phillipe Habinshuti, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry in Charge of Emergency Management (MINEMA), noted that the government continues to provide a safe environment for refugees to enjoy their rights and dignified lives. “Efforts have been made to facilitate refugees into different socioeconomic integration in education, health, security, among others, which requires enough funding to support all the needs,” he said. Calvo Uyarra, EU Ambassador to Rwanda, said: “The ETM in Rwanda is a crucial life-saving initiative to evacuate people facing major threats and inhumane conditions in Libya to safety in Rwanda. It is a significant example of African solidarity.” “The additional funding for the next four years is a testament of the success that this initiative has achieved in the initial phase,” she added. This latest round of funding builds on an earlier support package of €12.5 million between 2019 and April 2022. At least 1,453 refugees from Libya have been hosted in Rwanda since September 2019, through 12 evacuation flights. Of these, 919 people departed to third countries for resettlement and other complementary legal pathways. The majority move to Canada, France, Norway, Sweden, among other countries. The next flight from Libya is planned for March 2023.

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EU gives €22 million support to Libyan refugees in Rwanda