Rwanda: the EU provides €10.3 million for life-saving refugee support measures

The European Union is providing €10.3 million support package to the UNHCR’s Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM) in Rwanda, which provides a life-saving avenue out of Libya for people in need of international protection, with a view to their further resettlement.

The announcement was made by Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica during a visit to Rwanda.

The funding is provided through the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa. This initiative builds on the example of the ETM Niger, through which more than 2,900 refugees and asylum seekers have been evacuated out of Libya since 2017, the EU said in a press release.

For Commissioner Mimica “This project will support efforts of the Government of Rwanda to receive and provide protection to about 1,500 refugees and asylum-seekers who are currently being held in detention centers in Libya.”

“Such a remarkable and powerful proof of African solidarity should be further encouraged, replicated and supported,” the commissioner said.

“The Emergency Transit Mechanism in Rwanda is a vital life-saving measure to bring people in need of international protection out of Libya. It is an important sign of African solidarity and of partnership with the European Union,” High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini said. “It broadens the support to the most vulnerable people held in Libyan detention centers that need to be closed urgently,” she said.

The UNHCR has evacuated more than 4,250 refugees and asylum-seekers out of Libya to other countries since 2017.

However, around 4,700 people are currently estimated to be held in dire conditions inside detention centers in the country. They urgently need to be moved to safety and to be provided with protection, lifesaving assistance, and durable solutions.