30,000 Libyan civilians flee to Tunisia
Approximately 30,000 Libyans, mainly Berbers, have fled their homes in the Western Mountain region and crossed into southern Tunisia over the past three weeks as fighting continues in the country.
refugee children find space to play
The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) says that less than ten per cent of the refugees are staying in camps and the vast majority of them are hosted by the local Tunisian communities.
UNHCR`s Firas Kayal from the Ramada camp in Tunisia says that since April 6 there has been an influx of refugees from the Western Mountain region of Libya.
“They are mainly of Berber ethnicity and they fled because of the intensified fighting in their areas of origin and because of the shelling of their towns and bombardments and they have come to take refuge in Tunisia. Tunisia has been extremely generous in receiving them. The government has kept its borders open.”
Berbers are considered a marginalized minority ethnic group in Libya.
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