UNHCR goodwill ambassador and Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie visited asylum seekers held in detention and open centres in Malta yesterday morning.

During an unannounced visit, Ms Jolie spoke with migrants held at Lyster Barracks and then visited the Ħal-Far Hangar Open centre where families are housed in tents.

The Oscar-winning actress, who is currently based in Malta while her husband Brad Pitt shoots a film here, later took a plane to visit the migrant centres on Lampedusa along with UNHCR chief, António Guterres.

Speaking after the visit yesterday, she said: “Malta has saved many lives but it is the daily conditions on the ground that are of most concern.

“We’ve spent time today speaking with the government and will spend more time talking about how, together, we can make the conditions more humane, especially for the children.”

The migrants she met at Ħal- Far said living conditions were difficult and they were concerned about fuel-dust on the ground and rats chewing their tents.

So far this year more than 1,500 immigrants have arrived in Malta, almost all of them crossing on overcrowded and rickety boats. An equal number are believed to have lost their lives at sea. So far more than 400 of the new asylum claims have been processed by the Office of the Refugee Commissioner. But around 900 people remain in detention in Lyster and Safi Barracks.

“We’ve spoken about our shared concerns about making sure asylum claims are processed as quickly as possible so no one is sitting in a prison-like situation and waiting on a decision about their status… They are not asking to go to any particular country, they just want to find safety to work, and to have freedom,” Ms Jolie said.

Almost a million people have fled Libya since the outbreak of the crisis. More than 16,000 people, including refugees and asylum-seekers, have crossed the Mediterranean from Libya on overcrowded boats.

Many are in need of international protection, including refugees from sub-Saharan Africa and Libya, the UNHCR said.

The immigrants said they had never attempted to visit Europe before but they just wanted a place where they were safe and could work. But when the war escalated in Libya, they ran out of options.

The actress praised the Armed Forces, saying they had “saved thousands of lives over the years” and should be commended for that.

“Malta should now be given support from the international community to handle this continuing situation.”

An exclusive interview with Angelina Jolie will appear in The Sunday Times.

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