Libya: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) launches emergency response as almost 100,000 Sudanese refugees arrive in Libya

Since the conflict in Sudan started in April last year, over 96,000 Sudanese refugees have arrived in Libya. An average of 2,500 to 3,000 refugees from Sudan are expected to arrive every day in the coming months. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is warning of urgent and escalating humanitarian needs for those refugees arriving in Libya  with little-to-no provisions. The influx has placed additional pressure on an already strained service delivery  landscape, and an urgent scale up in support is needed. 73% of the refugees traveled directly from Sudan through the desert in the Al Kufra region (south east Libya), whilst others arrived via Chad or Egypt. Many are hoping for pathways out of Libya, as local resources are severely strained.

Conflict erupted across multiple cities in Sudan in April 2023, displacing over 12 million people from their homes both within Sudan and across borders to various countries including Libya, Chad, South Sudan and Ethiopia. Last week the famine review committee confirmed famine conditions in Northern Darfur while across the country hundreds of thousands are experiencing crisis levels of food insecurity. 

Jared Rowell, Country Director for IRC Libya, said,

“People from Sudan have faced unimaginable trauma whilst fleeing conflict. They arrive in southern Libya severely traumatized, malnourished and often needing medical care. Our teams have reported that large numbers of families, along with unaccompanied children and survivors of gender-based violence, are arriving in Libya. This situation underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive protection response.

“The IRC has been supporting Sudanese refugees arriving in Libya, particularly in the western, southern and eastern regions. Over the past six months, we have supported more than 17,000 Sudanese individuals, 58% of whom are women and girls , with medical services through our mobile health teams. These services include emergency obstetric and newborn care to vulnerable women, girls and newborns. We have also supplied critical items such as personal hygiene products and offered comprehensive protection services, including Gender-Based Violence (GBV) response services and psychosocial support activities.”

Escalating conflict across Sudan, especially in parts of northern Darfur where intense fighting has destroyed large swathes of houses and infrastructure and driven hundreds of thousands into famine conditions, has forced people to flee their homes. Paired with poor conditions for refugees in Chad, more Sudanese are expected to migrate to Libya directly as well as onward from Chadian refugee camps. The UN expects that the Sudanese population in Libya will rise to 149,000 by the end of 2024. The influx of Sudanese refugees into Libya has contributed to increased needs within local communities, straining already stretched resources. The health system in Libya is particularly fragile, with primary health facilities lacking the capacity to provide adequate medical assistance to the growing number of refugees.

The IRC urges the international community to provide immediate and increased aid to address the urgent needs of these vulnerable populations. Without swift and comprehensive assistance, including additional funding to enable an effective response, the living conditions for Sudanese refugees in Libya will continue to deteriorate, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation. The IRC also calls for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan in order to curtail the rapidly growing humanitarian crisis.

The IRC Response in South Sudan 

The IRC supports people impacted by conflict and crisis, including women, children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, refugees and mixed populations. Since the beginning of the Sudan crisis, the IRC in South Sudan has been responding to the influx of refugees and returnees through delivering lifesaving assistance to prevent and reduce excess mortality and morbidity, ensuring that emergency needs are met, and acute protection concerns are addressed at points of entry. Through its programmatic response, the IRC provides services in women’s protection and empowerment, focusing on gender-based violence prevention and response, along with general protection, health, water, sanitation and hygiene, and nutrition, child protection and economic empowerment and livelihoods for the affected population to restore and rebuild their future. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Rescue Committee (IRC) .