According to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, at least 2 million people may be at risk of food shortages if the fighting continues in Libya.
The departure of foreign medical staff has exacerbated the situation. UNHCR, through the International Medical Corps, has provided essential medicine and other core relief items to several hospitals, but is also extremely concerned about the situation of asylum-seekers and migrants in detention centres.
During the first week of August, hygiene kits were provided to people rescued at sea and held in several detention centres in the coastal towns of Al-Khums, Misrata and Zliten. Relief items and medical assistance were also distributed by the IMC to evacuees who left areas hit by missiles and rockets in Tripoli.
The Crisis Committee of the Tripoli City Council estimates that some 7,240 families (around 43,500 people) have been displaced by the weeks of fighting in the Libyan capital. Some sources estimate the figure may be much higher.
Although many families have sought shelter with friends and relatives in other cities, some have nowhere to go and are living in woods and open areas outside Tripoli. "These people cannot go further to the west as the road is increasingly unsafe, and they cannot go back to the east," UNHCR's Quol noted, adding: They are in urgent need of assistance and, despite the challenges, we need to be able to respond to the needs of affected civilians."
(Source: UNHCR)
