The 13th batch comprising 150 asylum seekers who were stranded in Libya has arrived in Rwanda, according to a reliable source in Kigali. These asylum seekers will be joining others who have already been welcomed by Rwanda in the previous 12 batches.
This recent development is in line with the agreement signed in September 2019 between Rwanda, the African Union (AU), and the United Nations refugees agency (UNHCR) to host refugees who are stranded in Libya.
Rwanda has committed to receiving these refugees since 2017, after it was discovered that thousands of individuals from various parts of Africa were stranded in Libya, and subjected to slavery after their failed attempts to reach Europe.
The first batch of refugees, which comprised 66 African refugees and asylum-seekers from Libya, arrived in Rwanda in September 2019 via Buraq Air. Since then, a total of 1,500 individuals, excluding the latest batch, have been received, with 900 of them resettled to third countries.
These refugees and asylum seekers are from different countries including Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon.
All the previous batches were accommodated at Gashora transit camp in Bugesera district, which was previously home to thousands of Burundian refugees since 2015 before they were relocated to other sites.