Morocco Sends Humanitarian Assistance to Refugees At the Libyan Border A communiqué recently released from the Moroccan embassy said that two military airplanes carrying urgent humanitarian assistance to refugees at the Tunisian-Libyan border landed, on Thursday at Djerba International Airport. This assistance consists, in particular, of a general surgery unit, medicines and medical equipment dedicated to the mobile hospital set by the Moroccan medical team to provide first aid to refugees in the region of Ben Guerdane, the communiqué adds. Algeria Evacuates 3,800 Nationals from Libya Algeria has evacuated more than 3, 800 of its citizens from Libya which has been swept by the two- week protest against Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year rule, state-run APS news agency reported Saturday. Halim Benattalh, a ministerial delegate in charge of Algerian expatriates, said the 3,800 have been evacuated via flights, vans and vessels. He said Algerian authorities have also evacuated 2,200 foreigners from Libya, adding the 6,000 have fled Libya until Wednesday. Humanitarian groups said a lot of foreigners in Libya have begun fleeing into Algeria after reports that pro-Gaddafi forces started to guard exit routes to Tunisia and Egypt. United States evacuation efforts from Tunisia In support of international efforts to provide critical humanitarian aid to people fleeing the crisis in Libya, the United States is announcing today a $3 million contribution to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as part of a joint U.S.-IOM partnership to strengthen efforts to return home thousands of Egyptians and other nationals from Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia who fled Libya and are now in Tunisia. Earlier today, U.S. government officials worked with IOM to identify Egyptian nationals who have subsequently been transported by two U.S. Marine KC-130 aircraft which departed Djerba, Tunisia carrying a total of 132 Egyptians (65 and 67 passengers each). Two additional U.S. Air Force C-130s en route to Tunisia will evacuate another group of Egyptian nationals in need of transportation. All four planes are expected to arrive in Cairo later this evening. Sudan militia burn village in Abyei -area official Militias burned down a village in Sudan's contested Abyei region on Saturday, a southern official said. The incident occurred the day after northern and southern leaders met to end fighting that according to one report has killed more than 100 people. “The militias went to Tajalei. They burned all the tukuls (huts) that they found there,” Charles Abyei, speaker of the area's administration from the Dinka Ngok, told Reuters. “It shows…the intention of the government of trying to occupy the whole area. That is why they are displacing the population from all directions. The villagers in northern part of Abyei are displaced,” he said. Read more here. Angry Southern Sudanese destroy U.N. vehicles over peace talks Southern Sudanese stormed a U.N. compound in the disputed Abyei region Friday, destroying 12 U.N. vehicles and setting fire to the compound's fence in the latest violence over the upcoming division of Sudan into two nations. The attack on the compound in Abyei town took place as U.N. officials were meeting with leaders of north and south Sudan in an effort to stop a wave of violence that's left more than 100 people dead and forced tens of thousands to flee for safety. Read more here. BM
