Attachments
1 Background
In 2011, the majority of the more than 40,000 residents of Tawergha, a Libyan town about 30 km south of Misrata, were expelled from their homes and have remained displaced for the last decade. Most of these families still live in makeshift Internally Displaced Person (IDP) settlements across the country, including Tripoli, Ajdabiya, Benghazi, Tarhouna, Bani Waleed and Sebha, while others have managed to rent accommodations in these cities.
Though the Tawergha-Misrata reconciliation agreement brokered in June 2018 was meant to facilitate the return of IDPs from Tawergha, only some have since trickled back. According to the latest estimate published by IOM in May 2021, only 6,900 individuals had returned to Tawergha. Tawerghan IDP site closures over the last year have prompted more to return home, and the number of returnees today is likely higher. However, as it stands, the area remains largely uninhabitable. As detailed in this assessment, the widespread destruction of homes and infrastructure, economic situation, limited access to services, and security and safety concerns remain key barriers to durable solutions for displaced people from Tawergha, including those who have already returned. Those who have returned are also struggling to meet their basic needs, adopting negative coping mechanisms while still not able to mobilize the resources to rebuild or rehabilitate their damaged homes.