30 July 2014
Last updated at 07:16 ET
A French diplomatic source said 40 French nationals,
including the ambassador, had been evacuated by ship along with seven
British nationals.
France's embassy in Tripoli has been closed temporarily, the French foreign ministry said on its website.
Libya has been gripped by instability since the 2011 uprising.
The French government spokesman in Paris, Stephane Le Foll, announced that French and British nationals had been evacuated, without giving numbers.
An unnamed diplomatic source gave the numbers to France's AFP news agency, saying the expats had been evacuated by the French army.
They are aboard a warship bound for the southern French port of Toulon, the French foreign ministry said.
On Sunday, the US evacuated its embassy in Tripoli, citing a "real risk" because of the fighting.
Together with France, Germany and the UK, it advised its nationals in Libya to leave immediately.
The UN announced this week it was pulling its staff out.
France and the UK played an important role in enforcing a no-fly zone in Libya in 2011, when rebels toppled long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was captured and killed.
Dozens of people have been killed in the fighting in recent weeks, which has centred on the city of Benghazi, where the main military base fell to Islamist-led militants on Wednesday.
France evacuates French and British expats from Libya
A rocket attack on a fuel storage depot near the airport in Tripoli shrouded the city in smoke on Monday
The
French government says it has evacuated French and British nationals
from Libya, as battles rage between government forces and militias.
France's embassy in Tripoli has been closed temporarily, the French foreign ministry said on its website.
Libya has been gripped by instability since the 2011 uprising.
The French government spokesman in Paris, Stephane Le Foll, announced that French and British nationals had been evacuated, without giving numbers.
An unnamed diplomatic source gave the numbers to France's AFP news agency, saying the expats had been evacuated by the French army.
They are aboard a warship bound for the southern French port of Toulon, the French foreign ministry said.
On Sunday, the US evacuated its embassy in Tripoli, citing a "real risk" because of the fighting.
Together with France, Germany and the UK, it advised its nationals in Libya to leave immediately.
The UN announced this week it was pulling its staff out.
France and the UK played an important role in enforcing a no-fly zone in Libya in 2011, when rebels toppled long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was captured and killed.
Dozens of people have been killed in the fighting in recent weeks, which has centred on the city of Benghazi, where the main military base fell to Islamist-led militants on Wednesday.
Libya after Gaddafi
Features and Analysis
-
Libya's newly elected MPs have huge challenges ahead of them to overcome the rifts emerging in the aftermath of Muammar Gaddafi overthrow, writes the BBC's Rana Jawad.
Will militias defeat democracy?
-
Rogue general divides Libyans
-
Why is Libya lawless?
-
Guide to the militias
-
Profile: Khalifa Haftar
-
Who are Ansar al-Sharia?
-
Land of the gun
-
'I witnessed Benghazi uprising'
-
Might of militias
-
Rockers find their mojo
-
Gunmen turn off oil
-
Ice cream crazy
-
Where are the Gaddafis?
-
Secrets of the Sahara
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment-- or suggestions, particularly of topics and places you'd like to see covered