Leaving Libya: A review of UNHCR’s emergency operation in Tunisia and Egypt, 2011-2012

In February 2011, large numbers of people began to flee the violent struggle for control of Libya. While the majority were members of the country’s large migrant worker population, refugees and other persons of concern to UNHCR were also involved in the movement. The exodus from Libya placed a considerable burden on the neighbouring countries of Tunisia and Egypt, both of whom were trying to cope with the consequences of their own internal upheavals.
 

Responding to requests from both countries, UNHCR mounted an operation that involved the deployment of around 90 emergency personnel, the establishment of transit camps in Shousha (Tunisia) and Salloum (Egypt), as well as the delivery of hundreds of tons of relief supplies.
 

In close cooperation with IOM, UNHCR also launched a humanitarian evacuation programme that transported many thousands of third country nationals back to their place of origin. Following the demise of the Gadaffi regime in November 2011, the emergency in Egypt and Tunisia subsided, leaving UNHCR to find solutions for the relatively small number of foreign nationals who remained.
 

As the emergency operation drew to a close, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees requested PDES to undertake a review of the organization’s experience in Egypt and Tunisia. The purpose of the evaluation is twofold: to analyse the effectiveness of UNHCR’s response to the exodus from Libya and to identify lessons learned that can be employed to strengthen the organization’s emergency response capacity.