Attachments
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On 7 January, the emergency food intervention expanded to include Tripoli’s Abu Salim detention centre.
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On 13 January, during a one-day visit to Tripoli, IOM met with the leadership of the Libyan Coast Guard to discuss the outcomes of a needs assessment conducted last year.
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On 23 January, IOM helped 46 stranded Bangladeshi male migrants return home to Bangladesh from Misratah, Libya.
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On 30-31 January, a two-day Community Stabilization Committee Coordination Meeting for Sabha was held in Tunis
Situation Overview
The power struggle between the House of Representatives (HoR), based in the north-eastern city of Tobruk, the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Fayez al-Sarraj and the Tripoli-based General National Congress (GNC) remains. At the same time, the Libyan National Army continues to be involved in geographical and resource power struggles, making advances across the country.
The Italian Embassy reopened in Tripoli, the first Western country to do so since 2015. Migration management remains a top priority for the Mediterranean neighbour. Not long after, in the end of January, the Turkish Embassy also reopened in the capital Tripoli.
For ordinary Libyans, power cuts and water outage continue all over the country with reports of almost two-day electricity shortages in the south. In Tripoli, the winter weather has also contributed to petrol and cooking gas cylinder queues, which has been compounded by occasional near total power blackouts in the city.
During January, UNSMIL documented 28 civilian casualties, including 16 deaths and 12 injuries in hostilities across Libya.
Victims included 5 children killed and 3 injured, 10 men killed and 9 injured, and one woman killed.
Despite harsh winter conditions, migrants continue to embark on the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea. In 2016, 18,904 migrants were rescued in Libyan territorial water. Whilst so far in 2017, 808 migrants have been rescued in four different incidents off Tripoli, Az Zawiyah and Al Khums. IOM is working to support rescued migrants through humanitarian assistance including non-food items and hygiene kit distribution, as well as health assistance. In addition, in the month of January, 42 bodies were retrieved along the western coastal strip.