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Libya: Humanitarian Access Snapshot (July - August 2020)

Countries
Libya
Sources
OCHA
Publication date

OVERVIEW OF HUMANITARIAN ACCESS

Humanitarian partners reported 673 access constraints in July and August. The 31% decrease in constraints compared to June is mainly because of the resumption of UNHAS flights and the reduction in humanitarian activities. Nearly half of reported constraints are restrictions on movements into Libya, as 95% of INGO international staff continue to be delayed in obtaining Libyan visas. Moreover, 24 UN international staff are experiencing similar difficulties.

Restrictions of humanitarian movements and activities within Libya represent 32% of reported constraints. COVID-19 precautionary measures during lockdown/curfew periods continue to pose a challenge on humanitarian movements. Municipal administrations in the South continued to show support by easing movement restrictions for the delivery of humanitarian items. Movement restrictions are more stringent in the East and West. OCHA processed notifications for the deconfliction of two humanitarian movements through the Humanitarian Notification System for Deconfliction (HNS4D) with national authorities in the West and East.

Both notifications were acknowledged by the authorities and proceeded with no major difficulties reported.
Health partners continue to report delays of up to one year in securing clearances for importation of health items into the country through Eastern ports. In August, health items intended for areas in the East were intercepted by an armed group and diverted to locations in the West. The only incident involving violence during the period occurred in the West when an ambulance was targeted by an unidentified armed group while on duty.

In August, IOM organized its first repatriation flight from Libya in five months, sending 118 migrants to their home country. However, humanitarians continue to face difficulties while delivering humanitarian and protection services to refugees and migrants inside detention centers.

The concentration of humanitarian resources in Tripoli makes it difficult to preposition items in other areas in the country while the movement restrictions are still enforced. Low operational presence of humanitarian actors across the South and in remote areas in the East and West impacts how affected populations are responded to. As of 31 July, humanitarian sector partners were on average only able to respond to 16 of the mantikas targeted with humanitarian assistance in the HRP.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.