The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has announced on Wednesday the repatriation of ten more overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from civil war-torn Libya.
Chargé d’Affaires Elmer Cato in a tweet has announced that “they are finally home. The 10 Filipinos repatriated by @PhinLibya (Philippine Embassy in Libya) and @IOM_Libya (International Organization for Migration) have arrived in Manila. They comprise the first batch to be assisted in returning home this year,” Cato wrote.
“This is also the first joint effort of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Organization for Migration,” the journalist-turned-diplomat added.
Continued unrest in Libya has prompted the Philippine government to ask Filipinos there to avoid and, if necessary, evacuate areas close to where fighting is taking place.
The current civil war in Libya is between the UN backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli against the forces of Libyan National Army’s (LNA) General Khalifa Haftar. Foreign nations are already involved in the conflict and Turkey has recently sent reinforcement to bolster the government.
A total of 149 OFWs were repatriated last year from the Middle Eastern country, which is currently under Alert Level 4, which calls for mandatory evacuation.
According to data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), there are about 1,000 OFWs in Libya. (Source: INQUIRER.net)