TRIPOLI, June 1 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Wednesday that it evacuated 132 vulnerable asylum-seekers from Libya to Rwanda.

       "UNHCR evacuated a group of 132 vulnerable asylum seekers, including young children and babies, out of Libya to safety in Rwanda," UNHCR Libya tweeted.

       The asylum-seekers, who are from different African countries, had been living in urban areas of the capital Tripoli and include survivors of violence and torture and women and girls at risk, said UNHCR in a statement.

       Expressing gratitude to Libyan authorities for facilitating the evacuation, UNHCR Acting Chief of Mission in Libya Djamal Zamoum said "these vital flights provide hope and safety for some of the most vulnerable refugees and asylum-seekers in Libya."

       Zamoum urged other countries to "provide more pathways or resettlement opportunities to help others find safety out of Libya."

       Since 2017, a total of 8,296 vulnerable refugees and asylum-seekers have been evacuated out of Libya to safety, according to the UN relief agency.

       Many illegal migrants, mostly Africans, choose to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores from Libya.