Nepalis in Libya
Total population | |
---|---|
(3,064) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Tripoli · Misrata · Derna · Benghazi | |
Languages | |
Nepali · Arabic | |
Religion | |
Hinduism · Buddhism | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Nepali people |
Nepalis in Libya consists mainly of migrant workers from Nepal. According to Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affair, there are about 3,064 Nepalis working in Libya.[1]
Overview
The majority of Nepalese workers in Libya work as construction or industrial laborers. The Nepalese government has opened Libya for foreign employment in 2009 and about six Nepalese outsourcing agencies have sent 1,868 Nepalis to Libya while 22 have reached there through individual contracts. The Department of Foreign Employment data shows that 2,592 Nepalis reached the destination in last two years.[2]
Following the 2011 Libyan civil war, many Nepalese workers began to leave the country. About 1,200 Nepalis had already left Libya according to the Nepal Foreign Employment Association.[3] Many of them left the country through Egypt by reaching the border from Derna under a rescue effort coordinated by Nepal’s envoy in Cairo.[4] Currently many Nepalis are still stranded in Libya and living in terrible conditions. About 113 Nepalis are stranded in Tripoli and Misrata and about another 44 working in Benghazi are languishing in a camp facing with food shortage.