“With
fighting among rival armed groups intensifying in a number of areas
of Libya, we are seeing growing displacement – now estimated at
287,000 people in 29 cities and towns countrywide. The need for
healthcare, food, and other basic commodities – plus for shelter
ahead of winter – has become critical.”
“The
main area of recent displacement has been around Warshefana on the
outskirts of Tripoli, where fighting has caused some 100,000 people
to flee in the last three weeks. This, along with the Benina area
outside Benghazi is among the worst affected areas. Some 15,000
people are estimated to be displaced around Benghazi.”
“An
example of the increasing humanitarian needs and shrinking
humanitarian space is the situation in the small town of Ajaylat,
some 80 kilometres west of Tripoli. Ajaylat, a town normally of about
100,000, is currently hosting some 16,000 displaced people. With
displaced people now making up over 10 per cent of the local
population, health facilities are struggling to cope. The main
hospital there reports a 30 per cent increase in cases and lacks
essential medical supplies and medicines for chronic illnesses such
as hypertension and diabetes. Other towns across western Libya and in
Benghazi are facing similar strain.”
“As
well as the impact on the local population, the fighting is also
affecting refugees, asylum-seekers, and migrants in Libya – many of
them from Middle Eastern countries and Sub-Saharan Africa. The
lawlessness and a recent doubling of food prices has made many
desperate to leave. Libya's policy of detaining refugees and migrants
has pushed many to put their lives in the hands of smugglers to try
to get to Europe – joining the tens of thousands of people who in
recent months have transited through Libya and made the dangerous
journey across the Mediterranean. Of the more than 165,000 who have
arrived on Europe's shores so far this year, the majority departed
from Libya – of whom 48% are Syrians and Eritreans.”
“Many
have not made it far from the Libyan coast. The latest tragedy
among many others off the coast of Zuwara, near Tripoli, on 2 October
where over 100 people, mostly Syrian nationals, have died or are
missing highlights the need for alternative and safer legal channels
for refugee and asylum-seekers.”
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