Flee Libya, Philippines orders nationals

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) ordered its nationals on Sunday, July 20, to flee Libya as it raised Alert Level 4 (mandatory evacuation) in the strife-torn country.

“Under Alert Level 4, the Philippine Government undertakes evacuation of about 13,000 Filipino nationals there as soon as possible while no Filipino national will be allowed to travel to Libya,” the DFA said in a statement.

The agency said the move was in response to the “extremely unstable political and security situation there.”

It also urged Filipinos to contact the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli for instructions regarding mass evacuation.

• Embassy address: KM 7 Gargaresh Road, Abu Nawas, Tripoli;
• Hotline number: (+218) 918244208;
• Telephone number (+218-21) 483-3966; and
• Official e-mail addresses: tripoli.pe@gmail.com; tripoli.pe@dfa.gov.ph

Up to 13,122 Filipinos live in Libya, the DFA said earlier.

The agency raised crisis alert level 3 (voluntary repatriation phase) on May 29, with Libya believed to be at the brink of civil war.

A week ago, deadly clashes forced the closure of Libya’s main international airport, as the anti-Islamist militia that control it came under attack.

The exchange of fire killed at least 6 people and wounded 25.

The fighting came weeks after a contested June 25 general election to replace the Islamist-dominated GNC, which has been hounded by accusations of hogging power. – Rappler.com