Libya: The humanitarian mission

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said today that the country is to send two planeloads of medical aid to the Libyan city of Benghazi, held by opponents of Muammar Gaddafi. Fillon linked the aid mission to a wider effort by the French government to prevent an influx of immigrants from Libya across the Mediterranean, in the wake of the uprising in the country.

“The situation seems to have stabilized… some shops have opened, economically speaking the movement is taking place a bit slowly but seems to be steady”, says Hicham Hassan a representative from the International Committee of the Red Cross based in Bengazi.

He also adds that a main issue is a lack of nurses as many of them were foreigners and were evacuated from the country. Listen to Lydia O'Kane's interview here