This Mission Report Is a Summary of Findings. Participating Agencies Have All Produced Individual Reports That Contain More Details Than This Consolidated Report

Mission Report Inter-Agency Mission to Zintan Detention Centre – 3 June 2019

Note: This mission report is a summary of findings. Participating agencies have all produced individual reports that contain more details than this consolidated report.

1. Background Based on recent reports from humanitarian partners on the extremely poor living conditions, an ad hoc HCT meeting was convened on 27 May 2019 to specifically discuss the situation in Zintan detention centre. At the meeting, MSF from a recent visit reported on the overcrowded situation in the hangar where male Eritrean nationals are placed with poor ventilation, access to poor water & sanitation facilities and inadequate food. It was reported people that are suffering from TB or other illnesses are relocated to Gharyan detention centre which is close to Zintan detention centre. After a thorough discussion, a number of action points were identified and decided by the HCT, which included the commission to OCHA to urgently organize an inter-agency fact-finding mission to Zintan DC, under the control of MoI/Dep of Illegal Migration- which is located in a bit remote mountainous area 180 km south Tripoli.

2. Mission Objectives To verify and assess the situation first hand in Zintan detention centre and report back to HC/HCT on the findings and recommendations. On the day of visit, UNHCR transferred 96 refugees to the GDF based on standard vulnerability criteria (including nearly all women).

3. Participation Kasper Engborg (OCHA), Matthew Brook (UNHCR), Olfa Bakouch (IOM), Sufyan Al Ashheb (WFP), Mohamed Husayn (UNICEF), Osama Sharif (WHO) and Hassan Rezaei (HRS)

4. Meeting with Zintan DC Management Upon arrival at Zintan DC, the delegation met with Mr. Nasser En-Nakou'a, Head of DCs branches in Daher Al Jabel/Western Mountain Region. The meeting was also attended by a staff colleague from IMC. According to Mr. Nasser En-Nakou'a, the total number of people detained at the facility is currently 750, including 8 children, 57 females and 685 males. The delegation was informed that the hangar is currently holding 432 male Eritreans, including 132 under the age of 18. The rest were held at other three wards, of which one was specifically for TB cases. According to Mr. Nasser En-Nakou'a, the situation deteriorated as the result of September 2018 conflict in Tripoli. This conflict worsened the existing dire conditions and due to insecurity, 118 migrants were forced to be relocated from the centers in Tripoli and Al-Zawia to Zintan DC. The issue of TB was discussed; IMC said they suspected that more than 80% of migrants have TB. The majority of those migrants were before in Bani Waleed, Subrata and Al Kufra. IMC explained that 19 cases have been confirmed. Further tests will be conducted after Eid. According to the statistics of the DC management, there have been 22 cases of death; 18 males 3 females and one

1 child in the DC. Some of them passed away after been transferred to Gharyan Hospital. According to the Physician (IMC) working at the DC and following up the migrant’s health, infectious diseases especially from TB (60 cases died) among certain nationalities caused deaths. IMC very recently refers the patients to NCDC branch at Yefreen hospital, nearby Zintan, for TB diagnosis and collecting the medication for the TB diagnosed cases. Mr. Nasser En-Nakou'a reported on the difficulties in handling the deceased, incl. burial of corpses as Zintan and Yafren hospitals do no longer have the capacity to deal with these. Also, the local community has refused to bury the bodies of non-Muslims in the cemetery of Muslim people. The most prevalent cause of death was TB. Sick migrants are transferred to Gharyan DC where most of them die. Mr. Nasser En-Nakou'a mentioned that food is a concern from the view of the management and requested assistance. IOM and UNHCR clarified that food provision is the responsibility of the DCIM and the Government and that the UN do not have the capacity to feed the migrants/refugees unless there is an emergency situation for few days. UNHCR clarified the process of selection for resettlement, while IOM clarified the process of the VHR and insisted on the voluntary decision of the migrant to return home. UNHCR also took the opportunity of the meeting to brief on the relocation of detainees to GDF on the same day, and on the intention to return after Eid to conduct a more comprehensive screening for eligibility. UNHCR also said that the interventions made do not make the UN responsible for detention, it was stressed that this is a decision of the Government of Libya. As such, the UN resolve the problems that are associated with long-term detention, this is rather the responsibility of the Government of Libya. Humanitarian partners can provide some limited immediate humanitarian assistance, as well as seeking solutions for certain refugees and migrants, but not more than that.

5. Observations and findings

General observations Zintan DC consists of four wards of which the hangar accommodating the male Eritreans is situated approximately 1.5 km away from the other three wards, where female detainees, male Somalis and some 20 TB patients are held and separated from each other. With the exception of ward for the TB patients, the delegation was able to visit the other three wards without any problems. Conditions are obviously extremely bad, particularly in the hanger with the 400+ Eritrean males. The other two wards were better off, although still not acceptable. An apparent discrimination is that while the female and male Somali wards allow for detainees to walk out in the open air, this is not the case for the Eritreans held in the hangar, who are confined to the inside at all times. It was reported by the Eritreans that the electricity had been cut now for 16 days, which was later learned from the DC management that this was because of misuse that had enabled individual detainees to communicate with smugglers/traffickers. There are trafficking networks active in the region and they try to get contact with the detainees with promises. While mentioning a specific name of a famous human trafficker in Sabrata, one detainees said that some detainees are also victimized by such networks several times.

The delegation was informed of disappearances, and a list of some 23 people allegedly disappeared was given to the delegation by the Eritreans. The specific desperate situation of the Eritreans who have suffered at the hands of smugglers and have shuttled around between Tripoli-based DCs like QBG/Ain Zara, also Sabratha, Gharyan – many now two years in various detention centres. This is considered one reason for the high level of desperation, along with poor conditions, diseases, lack of solutions and not least the traumatization caused by their experiences from attempts to cross the Mediterranean Sea and return to Libya, some of them might even had lost relatives.

Food The delegation received conflicting messages on the number of meals provided per day. According to DC management, three meals per day were provided whereas according to the detainees respectively one (Eritreans) and two (Somalis) meals were provided. In the Somali ward, the delegation was able to see the food provided, which consisted of approximately 200-300 gr of macaroni with light tomato sauce. This corresponded to what was told by the Eritreans in the hangar as well. From what was seen, the food clearly lacked the necessary nutritious ingredients. The delegation was further told that MSF provide supplementary food when visiting the DC. When asked into by UNICEF, on the distribution of energy biscuits, which was supposed to be delivered two weeks ago to the DC management from UNICEF, it was reported by the Eritreans that these were not received.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene The general sanitation conditions are very poor. In the hangar, the few pit latrines (with no privacy) were supplemented by buckets in which people had use for same purpose. Garbage was piled up against the wall next to the ‘toilets”. Consequently, the hangar had a persistent smell and flies everywhere. Although the hangar had handwashing facilities, no water came out at the day of visit. The delegation was informed that water is only available for a short time twice a day. Water is supplied by truck, and one entered the compound on the day of visit. In the two other wards that the delegation visited, the conditions were slightly better although still not acceptable. Toilets and handwashing facilities were located outside the dormitories, but in the night (when locked up, which the delegation was told by the detainees happened around 4pm), access to toilets and water was through the use of buckets brought inside. The two wards for the male detainees in the detention centre are contaminated with diseases and germs as a result of using the same room where they sleep as toilets

Health When entering the hangar, the delegation noticed overcrowding and a persistent coughing among many of the detainees. Combined with poor hygiene and sanitation, the conditions pose serious health risks. The detainees at large complained about lack of access to medical assistance, both IMC and IOM on the ground reported nearly daily coverage of the detention centre supplemented by MSF recently. During a conversation, detainees reported that they had received no feedback related to

22 other detainees (17 Eritrean, 3 Somalis and 2 Gambian) who were sick and transferred to either Gharyan DC or a hospital. They claimed that the doctors are not providing them with information. Therefore, they do not want to ask for any kind of health care assistance, added to the perception that from Gharyan, nobody returns to Zintan DC.

6. Recommendations and follow up . HC to write a letter to the Government of Libya raising the concerns of the present conditions and seeking an urgent meeting to discuss these concerns and possible alternatives. The approach to the Government should be reminding them of its human rights obligations towards detained migrants and refugees, including to provide healthcare, nutritious food, clean water, adequate living space and proper sanitation, and calling for the migrants and refugees to be released. . Screening for TB cases must be conducted as soon as possible, for both migrants and detention centre staff working as well. Anti-scabies campaign along with the TB campaign are urgently needed. . UNHCR to follow up with WHO and other relevant UN agencies/NGOs on MoI’s request to UNHCR to provide a list of all potential TB cases to MoI which will then liaise with MoH for a screening campaign. . MHPSS colleagues to follow up and check on a mental health case that was observed during the visit; an Eritrean male held in the hangar. . Humanitarian partners to distribute any in-kind assistance directly to the migrants instead of delivering it through DC management. . UNHCR to return the week after Eid to conduct screening of other potential candidates for evacuation. However, the number that UNHCR will actually be able to evacuate will be very small compared to the overall remaining population (due primarily to lack of evacuation capacity out of Libya due to limited slots offered by the international community). Clear information campaign should accompany the screening to inform both refugees/migrants and the DC management in terms of the options available to those that are not screened in.