Key messages
Serious vulnerabilities of the food system may trigger full blown food security crisis affecting the entire population within two months.
If the oil and fuel pipelines are further affected as a result of the ongoing conflict, the humanitarian situation could deteriorate rapidly in terms of provision of basic services (water, electricity, transport). Immediate concern is to secure resumption of upstream sourcing of food commodities currently disrupted by lack of import. Commercial import should be immediately reactivated by resolving the banking transaction blockage and resuming shipping to the ports.
Financial issues having direct or indirect effects on food security include liquidity, availability of hard currency, ongoing devaluation of the Libyan Dinar (LYD), decrease in the people's purchasing power and payment of government salaries/pensions/allowances.
Specific groups such as displaced people, Third Country Nationals, and pre-crisis vulnerable people already experience serious difficulties to buy food as most commodities register an average 30 to 40% price increase. Those population groups mostly rely on social solidarity provided by hosting communities and families whose capacity to cater for them is thinning.
In order to avert a large-scale food security crisis, immediate actions are urged to:
(i) replenish stocks of food commodities and inputs for local food production, including animal feed;
(ii) maintain social safety nets (including food distribution to selected population groups) and consumer subsidy schemes against the backdrop of soaring food prices and economic downturn;
(iii) support relevant institutions (public, private and non-governmental) to prevent the collapse of the upstream food supply chain and protection of consumers’ purchasing power.
Simultaneous gap-filling response includes:
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Provision and distribution of food commodities, as requested by the Libyan Committee for Humanitarian Aid and Relief, to cover the immediate needs of the specific population groups, and inputs for local production of fresh and nutritious food;
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Strengthen market and food security analysis to inform the response coordination