Attachments
Key figures:
245,483 Libyans internally displaced (IDPs)
623,215 returned IDPs
21,317 IDPs assisted with cash in 2020
18,695 IDPs assisted with nonfood items in 2020 (33,748 in 2019)
3,164 IDP households received assistance during 2020/21 Winter distribution campaign
Situation Update
Between April 2019 until June 2020 some 200,000 Libyans were displaced due to conflict in Tripoli. Thousands of civilians had to flee their houses for safer areas in Tripoli, the Nafusa Mountains or cities along the coast. Most internally displaced persons (IDPs) were hosted by relatives and friends while others stayed in collective shelters. As a result of the ceasefire in October 2020 there has been a marked decrease in IDP numbers, but while thousands of people have returned home, others are unable to do so, due to damaged/destroyed properties, lack of basic services and the presence of booby traps, including improvised explosive devices, and landmines.
Civilians across Libya, especially IDPs and returnees, continue to face critical protection challenges. Access to medical healthcare, medicines, and essential goods and services, including shelter, water and sanitation, are the most critical needs. Hundreds of thousands of people living in major cities are at high risk of serious injury due to explosive remnants of war and unexploded ordnance. The most vulnerable people have few or no coping mechanisms to protect and support themselves. Access to essential household goods such as food has been reduced due to insecurity, inflation and limited cash availability.
While many have spontaneously returned to their homes, other IDP communities are unable or unwilling to return due to the destruction of their homes, insecurity and the lack of proper resources. For example, more than 40,000 IDPs from the Tawergha community have been displaced since August 2011.