Aid agencies say 215,000 have fled Libya, many stuck

GENEVA, March 8

More than 215,000 people, mainly migrant workers, have fled Libya in the past two weeks but there is a shortage of flights to repatriate them, aid agencies said on Tuesday.

The outflow to Tunisia, Egypt and Niger has slowed in recent days as fighting in western Libya has restricted movement, the UN refugee agency said.

"At both borders, Tunisia and Egypt, most of those awaiting evacuation are Bangladeshi single men. There remains a critical shortage at present of long-haul flights to Bangladesh, other parts of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa," Adrian Edwards, spokesman of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees told a news briefing.

Forces loyal to leader Muammar Gaddafi are fighting rebels along the northern, coastal highway and concern is growing over government use of air strikes. Britain and France are spearheading a drive at the United Nations for a no-fly zone over Libya.

In Tunisia, some 13,000 Bangladeshis who fled Libya are staying at Choucha camp near the Ras Adjir border, while 3,700 Bangladeshis are stranded on the Egyptian border, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

"These evacuations simply can't happen fast enough," IOM spokeswoman Jemini Pandya told reporters.

The UNHCR said that people trying to flee Libya faced military road blocks where mobile phones are confiscated.

"We can't account for the decrease in numbers. There are many roadblocks, making it difficult to get out. We heard from one group of Vietnamese that they passed through 65 checkpoints along the way," Edwards said.

(Reuters)