Refugees In Libya debunks UNHCR’s claims of registering 47,179 Sudanese refugees

Refugees In Libya has debunked UNHCR’s claims that it has registered 47,179 Sudanese refugees in Libya.

In a statement titled ‘Exaggerations and false numbering of refugees’

Refugees In Libya said: “In a report, @UNHCRLibya announced that the number of Sudanese refugees in Libya has reached 98,700 and clarified that 47,179 of them are registered with its office.

Here are a few clarification to debunk their claims:

🔶 The UNHCR does not have a registration office in the south or the east; it forces those who want to register to come to Tripoli, (a journey of thousands of kilometres armed with human traffickers and rapist).
These numbers are compiled through assessments when providing some assistance, but they do not register them as asylum seekers except in Tripoli.

🔶 The UNHCR does not account for those who have crossed the sea or those who have drowned. Dozens of journeys occur daily, many of which carry Sudanese people.

🔶 Hundreds of Sudanese have left Libya for neighboring countries such as Tunisia and Egypt.

🔶 The UNHCR claims that more than 47,000 people are registered with its office, yet at the same time, it says it has only visited 100 families in their homes since April of last year. Over a period of one year and six months, out of 47,000, only 100 homes were visited?

🔶 The UNHCR and other international agencies do not know the fate or whereabouts of even those registered with its offices. They only deal with a small segment according to the resources available to them (They don’t admit but give false hope and feeds the international community with lies). As of today, they have only one phone line for registration and an emergency phone line, with some local partners assisting them.

🔶To add to the story, the UNHCR does not responded to our calls or messages for a year or more. Appointments for registration and emergencies are only available on WhatsApp messaging app and one has to imagine that majority of the fleeing population doesn’t have access to mobile phones and in most cases the affected people can’t read or write nor any familiarity with technology.

🔶 Victims of human trafficking and rapes are turned away from the gates of the UNHCR by the so-called diplomatic police who in reality are militias. Those who try to resist are often beaten and threatened with Kalashnikov.

🔶We are calling on UNHCR to be transparent about their work in Libya, their limitations and services while amplifying the voices of refugees which they no longer prioritise.