Smoke rises after a part of Tripoli was hit by rocket | Credit | File photo

There are 57 South Sudanese immigrants who are stranded in Libya and we are working with concerned authorities to rescue them, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has said.

The statement comes after one if the South Sudanese stranded in the war-torn country appealed for help.

David Apai, who went to Libya in 2016 in an attempt to go to Europe to acquire an education there, told Eye Radio last week that he had lost his passport there and was seeking for help from the government to get out from Libya.

“I’ve to wait here [Tripoli]. If I am not accorded any support I will just be here in Libya until I die,” said Apai, who comes Ezo County, Tombura State.

On the sidelines of the Ambassadors’ Conference held in Juba on Thursday, Deng Dau told Eye Radio that the ministry was in collaboration with embassies of Egypt, Sudan and Nigeria to help get out Apai and the rest.

“We have about 57 South Sudanese in Libya; some are in western Libya and others are at the coastal areas. And so we have contacted the embassies here to update us on their situation,” Dau stressed.

The five-year civil war has displaced 4 million South Sudanese to the neighboring countries, especially the Sudan, Uganda and Kenya, according to the UNHCR.

Some are said to have fled the violence, while others had to leave due to the resultant economic crisis.