Antonio Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said many migrants, particularly from sub-Saharan Africa, already claim to have been harassed since Libya’s opposition seized control of much of Tripoli in the last week.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Guterres said he and colleagues had spoken by telephone to migrants fearing for their safety amid the uncertainty sweeping Tripoli.
“Their testimony is the testimony of despair, they feel trapped, they cannot move, they feel threatened because they are afraid of being considered as mercenaries,” Guterres told the AP in London.
“My appeal to all those still involved in the conflict in Tripoli is to protect those foreigners and understand that they have nothing to do with the mercenaries ... they are just innocent people working or living in Libya,” he said.
The UNHCR estimates there are tens of thousands of migrant workers still in Libya, some of whom have made risky attempts to escape to Europe by sea to flee mistaken reprisal attacks.
In telephone conversations with migrants, UNHCR confirmed that “some were arrested, some were harassed and many of them feel unsafe and feel threatened,” Guterres said.
Guterres, who served as Portugal’s prime minister from 1995 to 2002, said his agency expects the 60,000 Libyan refugees it has registered in Tunisia to soon return home.
“For those staying in Tunisia, we are now witnessing a clear trend for people to go back to Libya as soon as things stabilize. Our belief is that the Libyans outside the country will be moving back as soon as the situation becomes stable,” he said.
The UN agency estimates that 1.2 million people crossed into Egypt and Tunisia from Libya following the spring uprising against dictator Muammar Qaddafi’s 42-year rule in the North African nation.
Guterres said he hoped Libya would have a “true reconciliation process,” that will allow Libyans and migrant residents alike to return.
“Let’s hope that is successful and that everyone feels comfortable to go back and re-establish their lives in Libya, and also that many of migrants that left want to go back — because Libya will badly need them for the reconstruction,” he told the AP.
