Around 200 people raised €3,000 for the besieged Libyan city of Misurata on Thursday night during a fundraising dinner at the University, organised by Libyan and Maltese youngsters.

The money will go to a Maltese foundation of businessmen which is coordinating aid to Misurata. Medical supplies will be bought and shipped to the city within the next week.

Being a coastal city besieged by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s forces, Misurata is dependent on aid shipped by sea. Malta has become its only lifeline, with aid from all over the world being sent from the island.

The event, ‘SOS Misurata’ was also aimed at raising awareness about the conflict in Libya and its long lasting effects on Malta and the entire region. It was organised by the Libyan Solidarity Movement in Malta, the University Students’ Council and youth NGO Get Up Stand Up.

Abdalla Mohammed, from the Libyan Solidarity Movement, said Col. Gaddafi had committed atrocities not only in his country but around the world so his departure was in everybody’s interest.

Outgoing KSU president Carl Grech said Malta could no longer stand idle in the face of the bloodshed and had to stand up to be counted.

“We have to play our part,” he said, urging Maltese youths to help raise funds for those caught up in the conflict and contribute in any way they could.

Photojournalists Rene Rossignaud and Marc Casolani were invited to the event to speak about their recent trip to Libya, where they interacted with the rebels in Benghazi.

The Libyan Solidarity Movement also played an 18-minute clip about the worst atrocities being witnessed in Misurata, a city demolished after months of heavy fighting.

Being Libya’s third most important city, Col. Gaddafi’s forces are intent on recapturing it from the rebels who are equally determined to stand their ground in order to ­survive.