JOHANNESBURG, 7 August 2014 (IRIN) - As violence in Libya continues to escalate, most diplomats and foreign workers have by now received assistance from their governments and employers to evacuate the country.
But for the tens of thousands of undocumented migrants and asylum seekers in Libya, the only possibility for escape lies in the hands of smugglers.
Even before the recent round of clashes between rival militias, Libya’s lack of a strong central government and its porous borders and proximity to southern Italy had made it a hub for the people-smuggling trade. For asylum seekers fleeing conflict and persecution in Syria, Eritrea, Somalia and elsewhere, Libya has become the default departure point for attempts to cross the Mediterranean, as safer land routes to Europe have increasingly been blocked off by tightened border controls.
According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), 77,000 migrants and asylum seekers are estimated to have made the crossing from Libya to Italy so far in 2014, eclipsing the total for 2013. The current conflict is likely to push many more to risk the journey on over-crowded, rickety vessels.
