Nearly 100 refugees were evacuated out of Libya on Thursday in what was the third direct humanitarian evacuation to the country this year.

A group of 98 people in total, including 52 children were evacuated from countries such as Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan.

The refugees had been held in detention in Libya for long periods, some for more than eight months.

"Evacuations are a lifeline, it provides a future full of hope for many refugees who were detained for over 8 months in Libya," said Paula Barrachina, a spokesperson for the UNHCR.

The youngest refugee transported was Yousef, a seven-month-old baby from Somalia, who was born in detention and was travelling with his parents.

The UNHCR assisted 1,474 vulnerable refugees with leaving Libya in 2019, including 710 to Niger, 393 to Italy, and 371 who have been resettled to other countries in Europe and Canada.