UN begins evacuating refugees from Libya to Niger

NEW YORK - 12 November 2017: A group of vulnerable refugees from several African countries, who had been stuck in war-ravaged Libya, have been evacuated to Niger, Voice of America cited the UN as saying on Sunday.

The UN refugee agency said the evacuation of 25 "extremely vulnerable refugees" from Libya Saturday marked the first of its kind.

The group evacuated Saturday was made up of 15 women, six men and four children of Eritrean, Ethiopian and Sudanese nationalities, UNHCR said.

"All of them will be hosted in a guesthouse in Niamey until their resettlement applications are processed," Vincent Cochetel, UNHCR's Special Envoy for the Central Mediterranean Situation, said in a statement.