The mayor of Kufra, Masoud Abdullah, expressed his concern about the deteriorating health situation in the city, noting that Kufra faces major challenges as a result of receiving about 1,500 Sudanese refugees daily.
Abdullah stated that the total number of displaced Sudanese families in the city has reached about ten thousand families, explaining in his interview with the “Libya Al-Ahrar” channel, which broadcasts from Turkey, that the increase in diseases among the displaced who suffer from difficult environmental and humanitarian conditions, has greatly affected the local health system.
He indicated that the municipality is in dire need of more support, especially in the health sector, to confront this major challenge, and he also indicated that the response from international and local bodies was not at the required level, describing the situation as requiring immediate intervention to avoid the exacerbation of the crisis.
Some reports indicate that the number of Sudanese refugees in Kufra is 45,000 people, and an increase in cases of infectious diseases has been recorded among the refugees, as there are more than 780 cases of hepatitis, 112 cases of HIV, and 28 cases of tuberculosis.
A humanitarian response plan was launched by the United Nations for 2024, aiming to raise $48.6 million to support refugees and host communities in Libya. Some aid has been provided through international agencies such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, but this aid is not enough to meet all the needs of refugees in the region, which requires a significant increase in international support and coordination with local authorities to avoid an imminent humanitarian disaster.
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