Evacuation from Tripoli Libya - A UN agency said Thursday it had finally evacuated several immigrants from Tripoli on a chartered boat after an intensified battle to claim power from Libya's long-serving leader Mouammar Kadhafi delayed the evacuation. The staff from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) begun boarding migrants leaving the Libyan capital, Tripoli, on its chartered boat heading for Benghazi, it said in a statement.

The boat was anchored off the Tripoli coast since Tuesday and it finally docked Thursday morning after security conditions in and around the port area had sufficiently improved.

The migrants had been brought to the port area from various locations around the city through arrangements with relevant embassies and other parties.

Among an approximately 200 foreigners being evacuated are Egyptians, Filipinos, Canadians, Algerians, Moroccans and an Italian.

The IOM chartered boat, with IOM medical staff on board, will leave for Benghazi later Thursday.

Upon arrival, the evacuees will be taken to a transit centre, where facilities for their accommodation have been made.

The migrants will then be transported by IOM to the Egyptian border at Salloum, from where the organization will assist them to return to their home countries.

'It has not been easy to do this operation. We never expected it to be. Nevertheless, there is a huge sense of relief that all our efforts are in the end helping these migrants,' said Pasquale Lupoli, IOM Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

'However, IOM reiterates its call to all parties to allow migrants safe passage to the port. This issue remains a major challenge in any further evacuations of migrants from Tripoli,' added Lupoli.

Fear of fighting, looting, sniper fire and checkpoints prevents migrants from leaving their homes to reach the port area, the only place from which they would be able to flee the country.

A second IOM chartered boat with a much larger capacity is due to carry out another evacuation over the weekend.

Although there are no clear figures on the overall number of migrants still in Tripoli and how many in total who still want to be evacuated, several thousands had registered for assistance.

Pana 26/08/2011