By Libya Herald staff.
Tunis, 29 January 2016:
Mayors and municipal representatives from a number of towns in western and southern Libya have . . .[restrict]taken part in a workshop in Tunis on the effects of illegal migration in Libya. Supported by the French and German embassies as well as the EU, it was attended by mayors from Zintan, Sebha, Murzuk and Ziwara as well a representatives from a number of other municipalities including Ghat, Rujban and Jufra.
The presence of tens of thousands of illegal migrants had become a major problem for councils, the municipalities told the European officials. They asked for funds to pay the local police and border guards. They were no longer being paid, they said.
The problem of illegal migrants was not getting better, Zintan mayor Mustafa Barouni told the Libya Herald. There were now 6,000 illegal migrants in his town, as well as with 18,000 internally displace people, he said – and that was down from a couple of months ago.
The problem was putting a massive strain on local services and facilities, he said. Housing was at a premium. Education, health, sanitation and other services were stretched to their limits as a result, he added, noting that there was already one detention centre but another was being planned. [/restrict]
