In Numbers
45,644 people assisted in December 2024.
250 mt of food distributed.
USD 40,425 in cash-based transfers distributed.
USD 17.4 m six-month funding requirement from January to June 2025.
Operational Updates
Emergency Sudanese Refugee Response
• By the end of December, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that nearly 210,000 Sudanese refugees had arrived in Libya since the start of the conflict in April 2023 • In December, under the 2024 Sudan Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP) for Libya, WFP: o Reached 31,370 Sudanese refugees with 236 mt of life-saving in-kind food assistance across eleven locations (Almaraj, Awjlah, Ajdabiya, Albrega,
Benghazi, Derna, Ejkhra, Jalu, Misrata, Tazirbu, and Tripoli). o Supported 3,180 children under five with lipidbased nutrient supplements and 1,396 Sudanese pregnant and breastfeeding women with date bars across the same locations, complementing its food assistance. o Assisted 3,604 Libyans in Azzawya and Sebha, with a total of USD 40,425 in cash-based transfers (CBTs), enabling them to meet essential needs through local markets • On 19 December, WFP participated in a UNSMIL-led mission to Al Kufra, joined by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, the Resident Coordinator, and the United Nations Country Team. The mission aimed to boost humanitarian assistance in the city, including food aid, and to secure local authorities’ support for more frequent United Nations access. In response to the growing number of Sudanese refugees, WFP has scaled up assistance from 2,000 to 5,000 households per cycle.
• The 2025 Regional RRP seeks USD 106.6 million to assist 446,000 Sudanese refugees and host communities in Libya, with USD 13.5 million allocated for WFP’s food assistance. The regional 2025 RRP launch has been delayed to January to incorporate input from neighbouring countries. Sustained funding is critical to meet the escalating needs in 2025 and ensure continued delivery of life-saving assistance.
Additional Emergency Assistance
• As part of a one-off emergency response, WFP delivered 12.7 mt of food to 3,500 Libyans affected by flooding in Ajdabiya during December following heavy rains.
• In collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), WFP provided 1.58 mt of food assistance for two weeks to 594 migrants in the Sebha detention centre in the South.
• In early January, WFP will launch a project in Al Qatroun to help the local community strengthen its capacity to absorb the increasing influx of Sudanese refugees into the municipality by rehabilitating five community-based bakeries. These bakeries will produce bread for the host community and Sudanese refugees, providing livelihoods opportunities and increasing the self-reliance of the host community.
Emergency School Feeding Response
• On 15 December, WFP, in coordination with the Ministry of Education (East), launched the School Feeding Programme in Derna after delays caused by school rehabilitation efforts. In the last two weeks of December, WFP provided 50,809 nutritious school meals to 6,576 primary schoolchildren across 26 schools. The daily meals consisted of date bars, fresh fruit, flavoured milk, yogurt, and fortified bread with the aim to improve the children’s dietary diversity and boost school attendance and retention rates. WFP assistance to the school meals programme is expected to conclude by end of February 2025.
National Food Security Programme
• On 8 December, with support from WFP, Libya officially launched its National Food Security Strategy, a key milestone in addressing the country’s food security challenges. A ceremony led by WFP in collaboration with the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESBD), was attended by the Prime Minister Dbeibah, several Libyan ministers, key international partners.
• As the lead United Nations partner of the Government of Libya in developing the strategy, WFP, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization and with funding from African Development Bank, provided extensive technical assistance to the Government over the past few years, focusing on capacity building in policy development and incubation. The ceremony provided an insight into the key objectives of the strategy, future steps and expected outcomes, as the government starts implementation.
Assessment and Monitoring
• According to WFP’s December Market Price Monitoring report, the full minimum expenditure basket (MEB) increased by 1.2 percent from November to December, averaging USD 194.97 nationwide, following two consecutive months of price decline in October and November. Prices are still plagued by political and civil unrest in the western region where recent clashes in Azzawya led to fires and the temporary closure of Libya's second largest oil refinery.
• Two months into its implementation, WFP’s Community Feedback Mechanism is providing direct engagement with beneficiaries. In December, WFP’s hotline received 1,789 calls, with 93 percent related to WFP assistance, primarily requests for emergency registration by Sudanese refugees. Calls were predominately from women refugees (77 percent) and 96 percent being Sudanese nationals and 45 percent from Tripoli.
• During the reporting period, WFP’s third-party monitoring partner, Moomken, conducted 23 on-site visits across the eastern and western parts of the country in close coordination with Organization of Development Pioneers (ODP) and LIBAID Tripoli,
Benghazi, Ejkherra, Almarj, Owjla, Tazerbo, Jalu, and Ajdabiya (East and West) to the emergency food distribution points to the Sudanese refugees.
• Based on 48 interviews, 93 percent of beneficiaries expressed their satisfaction with the quantity of the food received, and 87 percent confirmed that they use the food to cover the food needs of their families.