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Libya + 8 more

UNHCR Update Libya (27 November 2020) [EN/AR]

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Population movement

As of 26 November, 10,950 refugees and migrants have been registered as rescued/intercepted at sea by the Libyan Coast Guard (LCG) and disembarked in Libya. UNHCR and its partner, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), continue to be present at disembarkation points to provide urgent medical assistance and core relief items (CRIs) before individuals are transferred to detention centres by the Libyan authorities.

UNHCR response

UNHCR continues its winterization campaign in Libya. On 23 November, UNHCR provided CRIs to 236 internally displaced (IDP) families (1,055 individuals) living in Al Riyaddiyah-1 settlement in eastern Libya. A total of 1,000 families (4,567 individuals) were reached with items such as blankets, seasonal clothes, hygiene kits, and solar lamps.

UNHCR uses cash-based interventions (CBIs) to provide protection, assistance and services to the most vulnerable. Last week, UNHCR's partner, CESVI provided cash assistance to 15 refugees and asylum-seekers at the Community Day Centre (CDC) in Tripoli. Partner the Danish Refugee Council started the distribution of pre-paid cash cards with 304 displaced families having received CBIs. In southern and eastern Libya, partner ACTED provided pre-paid cash cards to 422 IDPs in Sebha and Benghazi. So far this year, UNHCR has supported over 7,400 individuals with CBIs.

Medical assistance is a crucial service that continues to be available for refugees and asylum-seekers living in the urban community. UNHCR’s medical partner, IRC provided 231 medical consultations at the CDC and Al Harat Primary Health Care Clinic and 39 referrals to secondary health facilities in Tripoli. A total of 325 medical consultations and 94 referrals to secondary health facilities were also provided in Misrata (190 km east of Tripoli). In addition, the 24/7 medical emergency hotline team assisted 13 persons of concern. IRC, as part of UNHCR’s urban response, has been distributing CRIs to some of the most vulnerable asylum-seekers. Daily identified meeting points bring the assistance closer to the beneficiaries' homes.

Through its partners, UNHCR is able to reach out across Libya. In the south on 22 November, as part of ongoing assistance to help stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, UNHCR through its partner ACTED formally handed over two containers for health centres in Sebha (Al-Gurda Polyclinic and Althanawya Respiratory Clinic) as part of UNHCR’s Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) to help support health authorities respond to COVID-19. In eastern Libya, on 25 November, partner Handicap International started the distribution of UNHCR assistive devices to disabled persons in Benghazi. The devices distributed include adult and child wheelchairs, crutches, walking frames, and mattresses.

Services at the Serraj Registration Office in Tripoli are ongoing. The Office received more than 300 refugees and asylum-seekers, including 73 individuals for refugee-status determination and resettlement appointments. A total of 83 individuals mainly from Sudan but also Syria, Somalia, Eritrea, Mali, Palestine and Ethiopia were registered. They received their UNHCR certificates and were provided with hygiene kits. As of 26 November, a total of 7,138 refugees and asylum-seekers have been registered with UNHCR in Libya.