Telling the Real Story held two diaspora meetings in Rome, Italy and Munich, Germany. The situation in Libya featured prominently in the meetings. A diaspora member described the situation as ‘a bridge that has collapsed’ over refugees, where they are unable to move forward or back to the countries they transited or came from.
Eritrean activists at the meeting in Germany called on fellow Eritreans to start an online campaign with the sole purpose of stopping their countrymen from going to Libya.There were calls for information dissemination on legal pathways. The diaspora expressed a willingness to work more on trying to create more opportunities for community sponsorships.
In addition to the new testimonies, the diaspora asked TRS to collaborate with prominent community personalities who have a large following and incorporate videos of them reciting poems or singing songs on irregular travel on TRS platforms.
TRS facilitated a meeting between the Eritrean diaspora in Italy and the UNHCR Special Envoy for the Central Mediterranean situation Vincent Cochetel. The meeting was aimed at sharing information on UNHCR’s capacity in Libya following the ongoing situation and assess the potential for capacity-building support by refugee organizations. UNHCR expressed the need to look into the possibility of other lifesaving strategies. The diaspora members expressed a willingness to readily work with UNHCR in any way or form to address the situation in Libya.
