The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni has deplored the manner in which the Libyan crises is complicating evacuation efforts. The first batch of Ghanaians arrived from Libya on Saturday and the Minister revealed that a second batch of about 60 Ghanaians are expected in the country tomorrow. Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, the Foreign Minister indicated that the Libyan crises had made it difficult for the Ghana embassy to establish contacts with Ghanaians there. According to him, communication in the troubled country had been cut off while many Ghanaians there were believed to be hiding from attacks which stems from rumours that sub-Saharan Africans had been employed as mercenaries by Libyan leader Muammar Al-Gaddafi. “Indeed our ambassador in Libya has told us that he applied to the Libyan authorities to designate an assembling point where Ghanaians could congregate and also to provide some kind of escort and this has not been forthcoming. That clearly again has complicated the whole process of mobilizing and operationalising the evacuation plan,” he lamented. He said due to the complication, the Ghanaians who have been thus far identified are those found on the Libya-Egypt border. Alhaji Mumuni revealed that the Ghana embassy in Libya had closed due to the crises, hinting that should the situation there reach a critical point, the “essential staff” of the Foreign Mission will be moved to nearby Malta to continue their work while the other staff will be evacuated to Ghana. As part of government's efforts, he said a settlement and rehabilitation centre would be established in Ghana to cater for the returnees in need of assistance such as medical treatment. The Minister said an estimated 10,000 Ghanaians are believed to living in Libya, though according to him, the Ghanaian Foreign Mission in Libya had pegged that number at 4,000. As part of evacuation plans, Ghanaians in Libya would travel by sea from the Tripoli and Benghazi ports, the Minister said. He explained that the mode of transport by sea has become necessary because airlines are facing some difficulty in attaining clearance to land in Libya. Story by Fidel Amoah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana