Tripoli, Aug 29 (IANS/AKI): A total of 4,000 migrants are detained in war-torn Libya, where there are 50,000 refugees and asylum seekers and 275,000 displaced people, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said on Wednesday.
"275,000 internally displaced people. 50,000 refugees and asylum seekers. 4,000 people in detention. They are all in #Libya and they need support, says from Tripoli @KellyTClements," the UNHCR said in a tweet.
Kelly Clements, UNHCR's Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, has vowed aid for those in Libya who have fled their homes. She also pledged to help establish alternatives to detention for refugees in the country, where the humanitarian situation is deteriorating, the agency said.
"While clashes continue daily, many people have lost their homes, face reduced access to services and endure increasing power and electricity cuts," UNHCR said.
"People in Libya are suffering immensely," said Clements after a two-day visit to Libya, where an almost five-month-long conflict between rival forces in Tripoli has killed over 1,000 people according to the UN.