More than 82,000 men, women and children have been caught at sea since then and been forced back to Libya, usually to indefinite detention.Д®arlier this month, a fact-finding mission appointed by the UN Human Rights Council found that вЂњacts of murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, persecution and other inhumane acts committed against migrants form part of a systematic and widespread attack directed at this population, in furtherance of a state policyвЂќ and may amount to crimes against humanity. In 2017, the European Union pledged tens of millions of dollars towards training and equipping the Libyan coastguard to carry out interceptions along the coast, with the aim of stopping refugees and migrants from making this journey. Libya has long attracted refugees and migrants from across Africa, who flee wars, dictatorships, or crushing poverty and hope to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean. On Thursday, Libya hosted foreign dignitaries for the Libya Stabilisation Conference, which was held in a bid to drum up support for elections scheduled for December and January. Others cannot be reached as their homes were demolished, belongings phones taken,вЂќ Argaz said. However, this may take some time since some of those prioritised for flights are currently in detention, due to the security operations. вЂњOur teams are already preparing all necessary logistics to resume evacuations the soonest. Last week, UNHCR received a вЂњverbal confirmationвЂќ that evacuation flights could soon resume, he added, though there is no formal written confirmation.

вЂњThis has resulted in more than 1,000 vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers, currently prioritised for humanitarian flights, being unable to reach safety,вЂќ Argaz said. In recent months, Libyan authorities have prevented evacuation flights from taking off. This year, just 345 people have departed the country through evacuation flights, while in 2020, only 811 left that way. The refugees and asylum seekers are hoping for evacuation to safe countries in Europe or North America, though the number of spaces offered by states is much lower than the level of need. Many are now sleeping out in the cold, in an unsafe environment.вЂќ Others have joined, hoping to be evacuated. вЂњMany have been affected by the raids, the demolition of their homes and their detention in horrific conditions. вЂњTheir situation is precarious and we are extremely concerned about them,вЂќ he said. Argaz said UNHCR staff are still engaging with refugees in other ways, including by distributing some aid. Spokesman Tarik Argaz said as many as 3,000 people are now waiting outside the UNHCRвЂ™s community day centre, but the agency suspended work there shortly after the raids for вЂњsecurityвЂќ reasons. If they go into the street you can be kidnapped and told to pay money.вЂќ вЂњWe wonвЂ™t go outside here because a lot of people have died here but we donвЂ™t know what to do.

вЂњMany people, we donвЂ™t know where they went, they tried to escape from the police,вЂќ he said. He said two of his friends managed to escape a neighbourhood raid by the security forces but sustained injuries from whips. вЂњMany of us try to cross the sea,вЂќ he said, adding that they had lost faith in UNHCR and legal routes to safety. He said smugglers are currently charging $1,500 to $2,000 per person for an attempt to reach Italy or Malta via the Mediterranean Sea. We have children and we know the life in the prison.вЂќ вЂњWe are afraid, we canвЂ™t go outside,вЂќ an Eritrean, who has been hiding with his family since the raids began, said on a phone call from Tripoli. Witnesses said his attackers were Libyan security forces. On October 8, at least six people were killed as thousands of detainees left an overcrowded detention centre known as Ghot Shaal, or al-Mabani.ДЇour days later, the UN said one of the men who was caught during the raids and then got out again вЂ“ a 25-year-old Sudanese who fled conflict in Darfur вЂ“ was shot dead by вЂњa group of armed masked menвЂќ. Many had already spent years between government-associated detention centres and smugglers, and have survived torture and other abuses.

They included some 540 women, at least 30 of whom were pregnant, according to UN estimates. More than 5,000 people have been rounded up by security forces since October 1 and put into indefinite detention.

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