ReliefWeb

Population Movements

Since the onset of hostilities on 26 August, at least 3,845 families (19,225 individuals) have been displaced. The majority of displaced civilians continue to find refuge with friends and relatives living in safer areas, while others are temporarily sheltered in schools or public buildings. UNHCR and its partner LibAid continue to monitor the situation and provide assistance to affected families in Tripoli and other locations including in Zawiya, Surman, Regdallen, Sabratha, Tarhouna, Bani Walid and Yefren.

As of 20 September, the Libyan Coast Guard (LCG) rescued/intercepted 13,575 refugees and migrants (9,289 men, 2,085 women and 1,345 children) at sea during 101 operations. Since the beginning of the year, 99 bodies were recovered in Libyan waters, while 608 lives were lost at sea. Owing to the prevailing security situation in andaround the capital during the months of August and September, the number of individuals who disembarked in Libya decreased significantly compared to previous months (2,167 individuals in July, 552 individuals in August and 390 individuals so far in September).

On 16 September, 58 refugees and migrants rescued/intercepted at sea were disembarked in Zawiya (45 km west of Tripoli) by the LCG. The group included 46 men, ten women and two children. UNHCR and its partner International Medical Corps (IMC) provided core-relief items (CRIs) and medical assistance both at the disembarkation point and in the detention centre to which individuals were subsequently transferred.

UNHCR Response

The conditions of refugees and migrants in detention centres remain of grave concern. UNHCR estimates that 6,400 individuals are detained in Libya, of whom 3,700 are of concern to UNHCR. Out of these, some 1,744 individuals are registered with UNHCR. So far in 2018, UNHCR conducted 924 protection visits to detention centres where it distributed 13,341 CRIs. UNHCR’s partner IMC provided 20,729 primary health care consultations and 228 medical referrals to governmental hospitals. UNHCR continues to advocate for the release of all of its persons of concern from detention and for alternatives to detention.

On 15 September, UNHCR participated in an inter-agency visit to Zintan detention centre (180km south-west of Tripoli), where 1,367 refugees and migrants are held in difficult conditions, with very limited medical services and sanitation facilities. In addition to CRIs, UNHCR provided a generator and two tents to serve as makeshift clinics (particularly for the isolation of patients suffering from tuberculosis).

As of 17 September 2018, 12 States have committed a total of 3,886 resettlement places for the Libya-Niger situation. Out of these pledges, 1,090 are allocated for resettlement directly from Libya, whereas 2,796 places are allocated for evacuees from Libya and refugees registered in Niger. UNHCR continues to advocate for additional and accelerated legal pathways, including resettlement, for vulnerable refugees in Libya.

Over the past week, in Benghazi, UNHCR and its partner LibAid distributed CRIs to 544 internally displaced persons. Since 28 August, UNHCR reached 980 IDP families (6,590 individuals) with humanitarian assistance in Benghazi.