The Libya Observer | 17.10.2017
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said that the total number of refugees and migrants held in Sabratha is 20.500, including those in official detention centers, adding that they are living in terrible conditions.
UNCHR’s spokesman stated in a Geneva presser that for over a week, their teams have been working around the clock to meet the urgent needs of over 14,500 migrants and refugees who were being held captive by smugglers in different locations, including farms, houses and warehouses in and around the coastal city of Sabratha in Libya.
He added that the refugees and migrants were taken to a hangar in the Dahman area in Sabratha that has been serving as an assembly point since the onset of the crisis. From there, refugees and migrants are being transferred by authorities to official detention centers where humanitarian agencies are providing lifesaving assistance.