TUNISIA / LIBYA BORDER TENSIONS

UN refugee agency (UNHCR) staff at the Libya -Tunisia border said today that the situation has reached a crisis point. Thousands of people have been waiting on the Libyan side to enter for as long as three days or more. They are without shelter and few provisions. UNHCR

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:03:10
• Production Date: 1 March 2011
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES - UNHCR
• Subject Topical: REFUGEES; DISPLACED PERSONS; HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
• Geographic Subject: LIBYA; TUNISIA
• MAMS Id: U110301h

Description

STORY: TUNISIA / LIBYA TENSIONS
TRT: 3.10
SOURCE: UNHCR
RSTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: NATS

DATELINE: 1 MARCH 2011, RAJ AJEDIR, TUNISIA-LIBYA BORDER

Shotlist

1. Wide shot, people struggling to cross the border into Tunisia
2. Med shot, injured man laying on the ground with other people surrounding him
3. Wide shot, people raising their hands waving
4. Wide shot, thousands of people struggling
5. Various shots, thousands of people with luggage and belongings
6. Wide shot, thousands of people pushing to get through the border
7. Med shot, Tunisians authorities controlling the crowd

Storyline

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) staff at the Libya -Tunisia border said today that the situation has reached a crisis point. Thousands of people have been waiting on the Libyan side to enter for as long as three days or more. They are without shelter and few provisions.

With the massive overcrowding, tensions are high. Today people started pushing to get across the border. The authorities could barely contain them.

There is concern that a large number of sub-Saharan Africans are not being allowed entry into Tunisia at this point. UNHCR is in negotiations with self-appointed volunteers from the local community who are guarding the border.

According to the Tunisian authorities, 70-75,000 people have fled Libya to Tunisia since 20 February. Fourteen thousand people crossed yesterday, the highest number to date, with tens of thousands of people now in urgent need of onwards transportation either in Tunisia, or their home countries.