15 more Filipinos escape conflict in strife-torn Libya


Fifteen more Filipinos have fled the ongoing armed conflict in Tripoli, bringing the total number of evacuees to 70 since clashes in Libya broke out almost two months ago, the Philippine embassy said on Wednesday.
Libya is embroiled in a long-running armed conflict and civil strife, prompting the Philippine government to order all Filipino workers there to leave.
Those who will return to Manila include five minors and two Islamic scholars. They comprise the biggest batch to be assisted by the Philippine embassy in Tripoli since Crisis Alert Level 4, which calls for mandatory evacuation, was declared by the Department of Foreign Affairs on May 1.
In a statement, embassy Charge d'Affaires Elmer Cato said the Filipinos are now en route to Tunis where they will board their connecting flight to Manila via Dubai.
"They will arrive in the Philippines on Thursday afternoon," Cato said.
Libya was placed under Alert Level 4 by the DFA after a number of Filipinos suddenly found themselves in the middle of fierce fighting in Tripoli.
Under this security warning, all Filipinos there are asked to leave and join the ongoing evacuation being offered by the Philippine government.
More than 1,000 Filipino workers are still in Libya, the embassy said.
Cato reiterated his appeal to the remaining Filipinos in Tripoli to accept the government’s repatriation offer due to intensified fighting in the immediate outskirts of the capital.
At least 40 Filipinos are in areas where fierce fighting continue to take place, Cato said.
He also said the embassy has lost contact with around 14 Filipinos working for Al Nahr Company who insisted on staying in their compound even after it was occupied by fighters belonging to one side of the conflict.
The embassy, he said, is also concerned about the safety of 18 Filipino nurses from the Al Afia Clinic that was struck by mortar rounds last month.
"Filipinos working or living in areas where fighting is taking place should at least try to relocate themselves to avoid getting caught in the crossfire," Cato said.
Many Filipinos are reluctant to leave and continued to hold on to their jobs in Libya despite the widespread violence, citing lack of economic opportunities back home.
But the DFA said it will continue to enforce mandatory evacuation and even called on the relatives of those Filipinos who are in Libya to convince their loved ones to return to the Philippines as the violence and armed conflict showed no sign of easing. — MDM, GMA News

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