UN refugee agency welcomes Libya's release of migrants

TRIPOLI, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday welcomed the release of illegal migrants from detention in Libya's capital city Tripoli.

"UNHCR welcomes the decision by the authorities to authorize the transfer of 59 men, women and children out of Ain Zara detention center, following UNHCR's advocacy with the Libyan authorities," UNHCR said in a statement.

The migrants were provided with medical aid, emergency cash, and food assistance, the statement said.

The UN refugee agency will help the most vulnerable in finding temporary shelters, according to the statement.

The UNHCR also reiterated its call for the orderly release of all detained asylum seekers and refugees.

Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making the North African country a preferred point of departure for illegal migrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.

So far this year, a total of 32,425 illegal migrants were rescued and returned to Libya, while 662 died and 891 others went missing off the Libyan coast, according to the International Organization for Migration.