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UNHCR Flash Update Libya (27 July - 3 August 2018) [EN/AR]

Countries
Libya
+ 1 more
Sources
UNHCR
Publication date

Key figures:

  • 192,513 Libyans currently internally displaced (IDPs)

  • 372,741 returned IDPs (returns registered in 2016 - April 2018)

  • 54,416 registered refugees and asylumseekers in the State of Libya

  • 18,475 persons arrived in Italy by sea in 2018

  • 801 monitoring visits to detention centres so far in 2018

  • 1,527 asylum-seekers and refugees released from detention so far in 2018

  • 1,858 vulnerable refugees and asylumseekers evacuated since November 2017

Funding

USD 85 M required for 2018

Population Movements

So far in 2018, the Libyan Coast Guard (LCG) rescued/intercepted some 12,152 refugees and migrants at sea during 88 operations. Since June, the number of operations increased when compared to the previous months, with over 5,000 refugees and migrants brought back to Libya (1,756 individuals in May, 3,453 individuals in June and 2,231 individuals in July). During the reporting period, more than 800 refugees and migrants disembarked in the Azzawya Port (36 individuals) and the Tripoli Naval Base (785 individuals). UNHCR and its partner International Medical Corps (IMC) provided non-food items (NFIs) and medical assistance both at the disembarkation points and in the detention centres to which individuals were subsequently transferred by the authorities.

UNHCR Response

On 30 July, UNHCR visited the city of Tawergha (290 km East of Tripoli) for the first time. Tawergha had been deserted since 2011 and currently suffers from a lack of basic services and infrastructure. UNHCR met with families who recently returned to the city after seven years of displacement. Returnees requested the United Nations’ support in ensuring that conditions for a safe return are met. UNHCR met with the Tawergha Local Council and civil society representatives to discuss current needs in the city and prospects for a safe, voluntary and dignified return. UNHCR continues to support IDP and returnee communities by providing humanitarian assistance across Libya. So far in 2018, UNHCR distributed NFIs (including blankets, clothes, solar lamps, heaters, sleeping mats, baby kits and jerry cans) to more than 31,000 IDPs and returnees (8,836 families). UNHCR also provided cash support to 12,686 individuals (2,261 families) and implemented a total of 75 quick-impact projects across Libya benefiting both IDPs and hosting communities.

UNHCR estimates that there are 8,000 individuals currently detained in Libya, of whom more than 4,300 persons are of concern to UNHCR. UNHCR continues to register persons in need of international protection at detention centres in Libya and to advocate for alternatives to detention. UNHCR’s refugee protection mandate necessitates that the Office has access to and be present in detention centres for the purpose of identifying those in need of international protection. At the detention centres, UNHCR and its partners distribute humanitarian assistance, advocate for release from detention and undertake screening, counselling and registration. The assistance that UNHCR provides in detention facilities aims at alleviating the suffering of detainees. As of 1 August, UNHCR distributed 11,713 NFIs to refugees and migrants at detention centres in Libya. UNHCR and its partner IMC also provided 18,500 primary health care consultations and more than 200 medical referrals. As a result of UNHCR’s advocacy, 1,527 asylum-seekers and refugees were released from detention in 2018.

During the reporting period, more than 550 refugees and asylum-seekers were provided with assistance at UNHCR’s Community Day Centres (CDCs) in Tripoli. The CDCs provide a safe space for refugees and asylum-seekers to receive support in terms of registration, cash and medical assistance (including primary health-care, medical referrals and psychological and psychiatric assistance). UNHCR and its partners, IMC and CESVI, also conduct outreach visits to refugee families living in Tripoli. These monitoring visits help assess their living conditions to then provide targeted assistance. So far in 2018, UNHCR and its partners provided 6,000 primary health-care consultations and 1,000 medical referrals at the CDCs. Additionally, more than 2,300 individuals received cash assistance. UNHCR and its partners also carried out outreach visits to 230 families (939 individuals).