Ahmad 
The city of Kufra in southeastern Libya is facing a devastating humanitarian crisis with the increasing number of Sudanese refugees fleeing the hell of war in their country.
Since the outbreak of war in Sudan on April 15, 2023, more than 8.8 million people have been displaced, many of them fleeing to neighboring countries, including Libya, where many of them settled in the city of Kufra due to its proximity to the Sudanese border.
The number of displaced Sudanese in Kufra has reached more than 65,000 people, with a daily increase of about 700 individuals, exceeding the city’s capacity to provide adequate support.
These refugees live in more than 50 residential communities around the city, most of them in farms, warehouses and old homes, in difficult conditions that cause the spread of serious diseases among them, amid the inability of local hospitals to provide the necessary health services.
Ismail Al-Aida, head of the emergency room at the Ministry of Health and director of the Martyr Attia Al-Kassah Teaching Hospital in Kufra, stated that the hospital examines more than 1,000 displaced persons daily to diagnose diseases such as hepatitis, AIDS, and other infectious diseases.
Despite the great efforts, the large numbers of displaced persons still pose a huge challenge, as cases of AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis have been detected, threatening public health in the city.
Observers have called for urgent intervention by the international community and humanitarian organizations to provide the necessary support to the Sudanese displaced persons and to the city of Kufra to deal with this crisis.
In this context, Georgette Gagnon, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Libya, visited the city of Kufra, accompanied by the heads of five UN agencies, to assess the situation and enhance humanitarian response efforts.
Gagnon stressed that local authorities and host communities in Kufra and other Libyan cities have been assisting Sudanese refugees since the outbreak of the conflict, noting the urgent need for more support, facilitation of access and coordination to meet humanitarian needs and provide protection.
The United Nations launched the 2024 Sudanese Refugee Response Plan in Libya, requesting $48.6 million from donors to support humanitarian efforts.
Ghanion reiterated the UN’s commitment to provide more support to Sudanese refugees and host communities in coordination with local authorities and humanitarian partners.
The discovery of new bodies of migrants off the coast of Libya raises the death toll to 12