Sudanese refugees in Libya receive new humanitarian aid from UN
Sudanese refugees based in Libya have received new humanitarian support as the UN expanded its support to communities impacted by instability and displacement, according to the Libya Review on December 30th.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), over 1,600 Sudanese refugees located in the Libyan city of Al-Kufra were given essential core humanitarian relief items to help them cope with poor living conditions.
The aid included blankets, kitchen sets, solar lamps, mattresses, and hygiene kits. All the items were given in order to allow the refugees to meet urgent household needs and improve their living standards.
UNHCR also handed out school bags to 640 Sudanese children in the cities of Misrata and Al-Kufra to enhance accessibility to education for children displaced by regional instability and conflict.
The agency emphasised that supporting education remains one of its key missions, citing that refugee children are often at risk of a prolonged interruption to their education due to displacement.
Additional assistance has been granted to over 570 members of Libyan host communities in Misrata with the same essential relief aid, with the goal of reinforcing social cohesion and alleviating pressure on local communities hosting many refugees and migrants.
The brutal civil war in Sudan, which has raged on since April 2023, has disproportionately affected children. In December, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) stated that the conflict has displaced roughly five million children, making it one of the world’s largest child displacement crises.
More broadly, the UN revealed that Sudan’s war has displaced a total of roughly 13 million people since it began. Over eight million alone were forced to flee from their homes due to fighting in the area, according to Middle East Monitor on December 30th.
Of the 13 million Sudanese displaced, more than four million have sought asylum in neighbouring countries. An official report published by UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, found that over 412,000 Sudanese have fled into Libyan territory. However, some estimates suggest that the number could exceed 800,000.
In early December, the governments of western Libya and Sudan agreed to jointly coordinate a voluntary return programme of Sudanese asylum seekers. The decision came just days after Libya’s Interior Minister, Emad al-Trabelsi, announced that Sudanese refugees would be formally granted the same treatment as Libyan citizens.
Libya Review, Maghrebi.org, Middle East Monitor
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