GENEVA, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Filippo Grandi, the United Nations high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR), on Friday welcomed this week's agreement with the African Union (AU) and Rwanda to set up a refugee transit mechanism for the evacuation of vulnerable refugees from Libya.
In a statement, Grandi urged other countries to follow their example with further actions to save lives.
"At this critical time where people are being caught in the escalating conflict inside Libya and many endure appalling conditions in detention, refugees and asylum-seekers need hope and concrete solutions," said Grandi.
Under this week's agreement, Rwanda will receive and protect refugees and asylum-seekers evacuated from Libya.
They will be voluntarily transferred to safety in Rwanda. The first group of 500 is expected to include children and youth at risk.
"We urgently need other countries to step forward too, help in getting people out of harm's way and offer solutions," Grandi said.
More than 3,600 refugees and asylum-seekers are currently held in Libyan detention centers, many at risk of severe abuse and in peril from indiscriminate fighting, according to the UN agency.
In early July of this year, more than 50 refugees and migrants were killed in an air strike on the Tajoura Detention Center east of Libya's capital Tripoli.
