U.S. to evacuate citizens from Libya via ferry to Malta

The U.S. announced plans to evacuate its citizens from Libya after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said their safety was the “highest priority” during a violent crackdown on protesters in the country, which holds Africa’s largest oil reserves.

The U.S. embassy in Tripoli announced yesterday that a government-chartered ferry would take American citizens from the Libyan capital to Malta. The statement said people would be taken on a first-come, first-served basis although people with severe medical conditions would get priority.