Algeria evacuates its nationals from Libya via Tunisia

Algerian authorities sent instructions to the Embassy of Algeria to Tunisia and consulates there to help the Algerians who wish to return from Libya, after the deterioration of the situation in the country.

Spokesman of the Foreign Ministry, Abdelaziz Benali Charif, gave instructions to the embassy and all consulates of Algeria to Tunisia to help the Algerians who wish to return from Libya. 

“Algerian Embassy and General Consulate of Algeria to Tunisia, and Algeria consulates in Gafsa and Kaf received instructions to provide all means to help the Algerian nationals who live in Libya, and who wish to return to this country in view of the deteriorating security situation there.” 

Foreign Ministry Affairs allocated the following phone numbers for the query:

Embassy of Algeria to Tunisia: 00 216 717 831 66 

General Consulate of Algeria to Tunisia: 00 216 719 086 18 

Algeria Consulate in Gafsa 00 216 762 213 16

Algeria Consulate in Kef 00 216 78 200 169

Algeria recruited since 2012 land, air and sea means to help 5.000 Algerians to leave Libya, as most Algerians left Libya after the revolution, before some of them came back after the return of security. 

French newspaper “Le Point” published new stating that Tunisia reopened on Saturday the main crossing with Libya for several hours, allowing the entry of some 200 people fleeing the fighting in Libya, a day after violent clashes on the Libyan side of the border, as about fifty cars with a Libyan numbering were able to enter Tunisia through Ras Djedir, where people walking on foot and carrying their belongings were able to cross the borders before Tunisia closed the crossing late on Saturday morning. 

Tunisia refuses to receive Libyan citizens who can not prove that they would leave immediately Tunisian territory. 

Several countries continued to evacuate their nationals and diplomatic crews from Libya because of the tense security situation, while thousands in Benghazi protested to demand the imposition of security in the city. 

Egypt Air company decided on Saturday to allocate seven trips to the airport of Djerba in Tunisia within the airlift, which began on Saturday for the transfer of Egyptians who are working in Libya and who arrived in the Libyan-Tunisian borders. 

British ambassador in Libya announced on Friday that he had decided “with regret” to leave the embassy in Tripoli due to continuous clashes in the capital and the lack of security, and that the embassy decided to temporarily suspend its activities as of Monday and organized the departure by British citizens to leave. 

For its part, Poland decided on Friday that to evacuate temporary workers of its embassy and citizens who are still in Libya, as announced by the Polish Foreign Minister Radoslav Sikorski. 

Several states and the European Union decided to evacuate its representations in Tripoli and advised its citizens to leave Libya, such as Britain, Germany, Netherlands and Italy, as the United States withdrew its diplomats last Saturday. 

Some countries such as Italy and Malta hired planes to evacuate its citizens, and many of the foreign workers in Western companies left across Tunisia borders. 

Meanwhile, the Philippines has urged thousands of its citizens workers in Libya to leave the country as soon as possible, as the Foreign Ministry confirmed that it deployed a plane from Malta to evacuate Filipinos from the ports of Benghazi,Misrata and Tripoli, if possible.

Battles between conflicting militias around the airport in Tripoli are more virulent in nearly three years in the Libyan capital, leaving more than 100 deaths and about 500 injured since July 13, while the largest army base in Benghazi was destroyed by extremist groups.