Written by Libya Updates
Recent, fast-moving events in Libya have appeared to show that Colonel Gaddafi’s grip on Tripoli and surrounding areas was not as secure as he thought. Most of Tripoli has been overrun by supporters of the National Transitional Council (NTC) with just a few areas of resistance holding out.
Thousands of non-Iranian refugees left Tripoli at the beginning of the conflict back in February, heading West towards the border with Tunisia. Many stayed behind to continue working however and there is now concern for the safety of many of these people. Particularly in danger are the African migrant workers. Many mercenaries were thought to have been hired by the Gaddafi regime from sub-Saharan Africa and the worry now is that anyone from that region will be targeted for reprisals from NTC forces and anti-Gaddafi Tripoli residents.
The NTC leadership has already spoken of its intention to keep its soldiers in check within Tripoli but this is a fractious country and the safety of a few African workers may not top of everyone’s priority.
Somalia Updates
Somalian refugees are continuing to arrive in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya at the rate of 1500 per day. The world’s biggest refugee camp continues to outgrow its rivals at an impressive pace. Parts of the IFO 2 camp have recently also opened to displaced Somalis but only at a very low level – local Kenyans had protested the handing over of permanent buildings to refugees. There was a delay while the UNHCR agreed instead to provide tented accommodation for the refugees and this has meant only the most vulnerable (about 200 people) have moved there so far.
The UNHCR and other agencies are also having some success in delivering aid to Southern and Central Somalia, including parts of Mogadishu but they agree that more emergency supplies still need to get through – especially to the worst it parts of the capital.
