KIGALI, Rwanda – Rwandan authorities confirmed on Wednesday the arrival of a new group of 164 asylum seekers evacuated from war-torn Libya, marking the latest operation under a long-standing humanitarian partnership with the United Nations.
The group, which landed in Kigali on February 25, is composed primarily of nationals from the Horn of Africa. According to a statement from Rwanda’s Ministry of Emergency Management, the cohort includes 143 Sudanese nationals, 19 Eritreans, one Ethiopian, and one individual from South Sudan.
The evacuation was facilitated through the Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM), a program established in 2019 and supported by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The ETM was designed as a critical lifeline for the most vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers trapped in Libya, who often face extreme violence, arbitrary detention, and dire humanitarian conditions in the North African nation.
“This evacuation reflects Rwanda’s continued commitment to international solidarity and the protection of those fleeing conflict and persecution,” a ministry official stated.
Since the mechanism’s inception six years ago, Rwanda has emerged as a crucial transit hub for African refugees. The Ministry reported that a total of approximately 2,760 individuals have been airlifted out of the conflict-hit country and brought to safety in Rwanda under the program.
While in Rwanda, the evacuees receive immediate shelter, medical care, and psychosocial support. The program is designed not as an endpoint but as a bridge to a permanent solution. According to government data, over 2,500 of those initially evacuated have already been resettled in third countries, including Western nations in Europe and North America, demonstrating the program’s effectiveness in providing durable solutions for those displaced.
The latest arrivals will remain in Rwanda temporarily while UNHCR works to process their resettlement applications to other nations willing to offer them permanent asylum
