File Photo: Relieved and happy to be released from detention, a refugee hugs UNHCR staff as they meet at the Gathering and Departure Facility in Tripoli, Libya. Photo courtesy of UNHCR Official Website
"UNHCR is grateful to the Libyan authorities for the release of 64 vulnerable persons of concern, including women and children, from Ain Zara detention center today," said the UN refugee agency in a statement.
"The group will receive a package of urban assistance, including core relief items, emergency cash, and medical assistance," it said.
The agency confirmed that it continues to work closely with the Libyan authorities for the orderly release of other refugees and asylum-seekers being held in detention.
Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since the fall of 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.
Rescued migrants usually end up inside overcrowded reception centers across Libya, despite repeated international calls to close those centers.
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