GENEVA, Switzerland, June 9 (UPI) -- The government in Libya called on the U.N. refugee agency to halt its activities in the country without cause, the relief agency said from Geneva.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said there are around 9,000 refugees and roughly 3,700 asylum-seekers registered with their offices in Libya. The UNHCR said its staff works on providing training, healthcare and shelter for those in need.
Melissa Fleming, spokeswoman for the UNHCR, told reporters in Geneva the agency was disappointed in the Libyan decision.
"UNHCR had made Libya a country where resettlement programs were being prioritized and was helping refugees to find new homes in other countries," she said. "Should UNHCR offices close, these resettlement programs would have to cease."
The agency, she said, was trying to work out an arrangement with Libya to continue its work there.
The UNHCR has worked in Libya since the 1990s. Most of its 26 staff members are Libyan.
