WFP Libya Country Brief, March 2025

In Numbers

• 12.646 people assisted in March 2025.
• 90.934 mt of food distributed.
• USD 64.650 in cash-based transfers distributed.
• USD 19.2 six-month funding requirement from April to September 2025.

Operational Updates

Emergency Sudanese Refugee Response

• By the end of March, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that nearly 256,000 Sudanese refugees had arrived in Libya since the start of the conflict in April 2023.
• According to UNHCR, the continued influx of Sudanese refugees is driving increased needs across the health, WASH, cash, food and shelter sectors. Refugees show concerning health conditions and require immediate assistance, including nutritional support.
• During March, in line with the Libya Sudanese Refugee Response Plan for 2025, WFP continued its assistance for Sudanese refugees in Libya. This included:
• 84.8 mt of in-kind food assistance to 6,980 people (1,396 households) in the south region.
• Nutritional assistance to 957 children under five and 538 pregnant and breastfeeding women through lipid-based nutrient supplements and date bars.
• Provided USD 64,651 in cash-based transfers (CBTs) to 5,666 vulnerable Libyans in Benghazi, Sebha and Azzawya as part of its planned support to host communities.
• In March, funding shortfalls limited WFP’s ability to deliver assistance, which was prioritised for the most vulnerable families. WFP may be forced to suspend refugee assistance in June unless new funding is received from donors.

Additional Emergency Assistance

• WFP is supporting AI Qatroun municipality to strengthen its capacity to absorb the increasing influx of Sudanese refugees into the municipality by rehabilitating five community-based bakeries, targeting approximately 450 host community and Sudanese refugee families. As of March, bakery equipment has been delivered and testing and commissioning are planned, while light maintenance is nearing completion.

Assessment and Monitoring

• Preliminary results from WFP's March 2025 Market Price Report show a 2.2 percent increase in market prices nationwide, bringing the national full Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB) price to LYD 902.92 (USD 165.69). The increase was seen across all regions, breaking a two-month streak of declining market prices. The Western region recorded the highest increase (2.9 percent to LYD 867.91), closely followed by the South (2.8 percent to LYD 955.28), while the East recorded the lowest increase (1.3 percent to LYD 887.75).
• WFP’s Community Feedback Mechanism continues to provide direct engagement and support to beneficiaries, with 1275 calls received in March. 98 percent of calls were from Sudanese refugees (72 percent females), of which 94 percent were requesting food assistance.
• During March, WFP's third-party monitoring partner, Moomken, conducted four visits to emergency distribution sites in Ubarai, Southern Region; four CBT visits in Benghazi, Azzawiya and Sebha; and 21 price market visits and one warehouse visit in Tripoli.