More Ghanaians evacuated form Libya

Accra, March 2, GNA - The second batch of Ghanaians numbering 95, arrived in Accra on Tuesday evening after being evacuated from Libya on board a commercial Egyptian flight.

Mr Chris Kpodo, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration who was at the Kotoka International Airport to welcome the evacuees said the government would always ensure that the country's citizen= s were safe, irrespective of where they might be or the circumstances they found themselves.

He however cautioned Ghanaians who decide to travel outside to ensure that they report to the respective Ghanaian embassies in order to make it easy for them to be helped "in times like this". Mr Kpodo commended the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) for its immense assistance with the evacuation exercise. The Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Baba Jamal, advised the evacuee= s to desist from negative activities and make the best they could of the new situation they found themselves in.

"Whilst ensuring that the thousands of Ghanaians who are still strande= d in Libya are brought back, the government would also ensure your safe and comfortable stay here," he said.

The evacuees were taken to the Aviation Social Centre immediately afte= r their arrival, where they were processed to be sent to their homes. Officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation, said after being processed, the evacuees would be given money to enable travel to thei= r destinations.

Meanwhile, a statement from the Foreign Ministry says stranded Ghanaia= n Nationals in Libya, were being assembled at the Salum border post where the= y are processed and transported with the assistance of the IOM and the Egyptian security agencies to be flown home.

The statement said currently, 125 persons have been processed and were at the Cairo International Airport, awaiting to be airlifted to Ghana. Another 197 are being processed at the Salum border post and will be transported to Cairo on Wednesday, while arrangements are underway to airlift about 600 Ghanaians who have been registered by the Libyan Embassy in Tripoli as soon as possible.

The first batch of 55 Ghanaians arrived in Accra on Saturday, February 26. The deepening political crisis in Libya has led to a number of countries repatriating their nationals from that country.