While the United States and a dozen partners continue to enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1973 by force, the flow of refugees out of Libya continues. Though slowed by Loyalist forces at some border crossings, both Libyan nationals and third country nationals continue to flee the civil war.

The Sallum border crossing the the entry way for Libyan refugees to Egypt. The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that since February 22, 2011, 140,128 people crossed the border at Sallum. While the original stream was primarily Egyptians, Libyans and other nationalities now make up the majority of those arriving.

the last week has seen about 3,000 refugees cross the border each day. Most move on to other destinations. The IOM has helped over 11,000 refugess return to their home countries, with two thirds of those being repatriated to Bangladesh. About 2,300 refugees remain stranded at the border crossing.

As of March 16, the IOM was reporting that 158,000 people had crossed from Libya into Tunisia and 128,000 from Libya into Egypt. Of those crossing into Tunisia, 123,000 were third country nationals, where the vast majority of those crossing into Egypt have been Egyptian natives.

Niger and Algeria have also seen some refugee traffic. Many of these are residents of sub-Saharan African countries. Niger, especially, had been hard pressed by the arrivals in the remote city of Dirkou on the edge of the desert.

As of March 18, 2011, Egypt continued to refuse entry from Libya for Palestinians.