Libyan Human Rights Organization: 20,000 Sudanese Refugees in Kufra in Need of Relief
moatinoon
A Libyan human rights organization has revealed that the number of Sudanese refugees in the city of Kufra has reached approximately 20,000 refugees, with the continued influx of Sudanese refugees and displaced persons to the city, located near the border with the Republic of Sudan.
The National Human Rights Institute in Libya stated in a statement on Thursday that the municipality of Kufra is facing a problem due to the increasing numbers, and local resources do not cover the needs of the large number of displaced and refugee populations, which has reached nearly 20,000 Sudanese. The municipality suffers from a severe shortage of basic needs, food, non-food items, medical supplies, and healthcare facilities and has not received any government assistance except for a convoy that arrived from the General Command.
It clarified that the municipality needs support from the government or international organizations.
The organization added, "No one can monitor the daily numbers of refugees, and the only way to approximate the number is through the local system established to provide assistance."
It appealed to relevant United Nations agencies, international organizations, Libyan civil society institutions, and the Libyan Red Crescent, as well as both governments in the east and west of the country, to stand with the municipality of Kufra to provide basic, urgent humanitarian, and essential health needs, meet the needs of the displaced, and establish camps for them.
This is the first time the number of refugees fleeing to Libya since the outbreak of fighting in Sudan in April of last year has been mentioned. The International Organization for Migrations displacement tracking matrix and the reports of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees do not indicate the presence of Sudanese refugees in Libya.
The spokesman for the municipality of Kufra, southeast Libya, Abdullah Suleiman, stated in statements in early February that thousands of Sudanese displaced people are still flowing into the city, but there is no accurate number for their numbers because the entry process is unorganized. It is also unknown where they enter from or where they are located.
He mentioned that the newcomers receive scattered assistance from the Red Crescent team or from civil initiatives. There is a citizen who provides breakfast daily for more than two thousand people, and another village provided a thousand blankets.
Kufra is an oasis and city located in southeastern Libya, about 350 kilometers from Sudan.
The organization stated that the refugees and displaced persons are located on the outskirts of the city in farms, warehouses, and depots, as temporary camps have not been provided for their accommodation. Children and women among the refugees need health care and vaccinations, and some adults suffer from chronic diseases requiring daily medication.
