More than 212,000 people have fled Libya since violence and unrest broke out in the North African nation, UNHCR said in Geneva on Tuesday.

Of all the fled, the UN refugee agency said, 112,169 went into Tunisia, while 98,188 made their way to Egypt and a further 2,025 to Niger.

Egyptians took up the majority of the population fleeing the troubled country. UNHCR said about 113,000 Egyptians left Libya for home or run for protection in Tunisia. It is reported that Tunisia was hosting about 45,000 Egyptians.

UNHCR was particularly concerned about the safety of sub- Saharan Africans inside Libya, as they were reported to be targeted in the country.

The UN refugee agency said its team at the Egypt border had learned from some Sudanese arrived from eastern Libya that armed Libyans were going door to door, forcing sub-Saharan Africans to leave.

Meanwhile, the number of new arrivals at the Tunisian-Libyan boarder has dropped considerably, comparing to a week ago, with only 2,485 people arriving on Monday. UNHCR attribute the diminishing outflow to reduced mobility caused by intensified fighting in the west part of the country.