Libyan refugees are people who fled or were expelled from their homes since the beginning of the Libyan Crisis in 2011, including during the First Libyan Civil War, that deposed Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, and the Second Libyan Civil War (2014–2020). Many people have been displaced from Libya to neighbouring Tunisia, Egypt and Chad, as well as to European countries across the Mediterranean. The majority of refugees from Libya are Arabs, though many others are sub-Saharan African migrants who were living in Libya.[1] These groups were also among the first refugee waves to exit the country. The total number of Libyan refugees was estimated at around 1 million in June 2011, with most returning to Libya after the First Civil War ended. In January 2013, there were 5,252 refugees originating from Libya alongside 59,425 internally displaced persons registered by the UNHCR.[2]
According to a May 2014 Le Monde article, there were between 600,000 and 1,000,000 Libyan refugees in Tunisia, many of which were political opponents of Libya's post Gaddafi government, including many supporters of Gaddafi. This represented between 10 and 15% of the Libya's pre-2011 Civil War population.[3] In August 2014, Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki stated that two million Libyans, or one third of the pre-2011 population had taken refuge in Tunisia.[4]
- ^ Squires, Nick (23 February 2011). "Libya: Italy fears 300,000 refugees". The Daily Telegraph. London.
- ^ "2013 UNHCR country operations profile - Libya". UNCHR. 2013. Archived from the original on 21 March 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
- ^ Mandraud, Isabelle (13 May 2014). "Kadhafi est toujours là pour les Libyens de Tunis". Le Monde. Tunis. Archived from the original on 21 March 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
- ^ Slavin, Barbara (5 August 2014). "Tunisia's president asks US for help". Al Monitor. Washington D.C. Archived from the original on 17 July 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2014.