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Libya

OCHA Libya l Humanitarian Bulletin (May 2021) [EN/AR]

Attachments

Highlights

• DTM report highlights severe challenges, including access to livelihoods and basic services, for displaced families returning home.

• A 23 per cent decrease in national COVID-19 testing in May resulted in fewer reported COVID-19 cases overall.

• More than 351,400 people are vaccinated against COVID-19 in Libya. Vaccination for migrant and refugee communities is yet to start.

• Nexus Working Group visited Sebha municipality to discuss strategic humanitarian and development interventions.

• The Libya Humanitarian Response Plan asks for US$189 million to support 451,000 people – 79 per cent of the plan requirement is still unmet.

KEY FIGURES

1.3M People in need

0.5M People targeted

278k People displaced in Libya

571k Migrants and refugees in Libya

FUNDING (2021)

$189.1M Required

$40.3M Received

21% Progress

FTS: https://fts.unocha.org/appeals/1027/summary

Discussions on return of displaced people continue

In May, discussions around potential returns of those internally displaced continued as the security situation remained mostly stable. The upcoming second Berlin Conference on 23 June is an opportunity for the international community to reaffirm support for a peaceful and stable Libya, yet more efforts are needed to ensure the resumption of quality services, including health services, electricity, water and reconstruction of homes damaged and destroyed by the conflict.

Key informant interviews conducted in January and February 2021 by DTM Libya, as part of a return index pilot, highlighted Tawergha as the area most in need of interventions to support durable solutions that respond to the needs of those voluntarily returning to their area of origin. Severe challenges in accessing livelihood opportunities and basic public services, such as health care facilities, were identified. According to key informants, less than 25 per cent of small businesses were operating and there were no large companies in town.

Moreover, the perception of lack of safety was reportedly impacting daily activities. Based on key informant interviews, residents were concerned about the presence or threat of unexploded ordnances and social tensions. More than half of houses were estimated to have been destroyed or heavily damaged. Key informants also reported that many families from

Tawergha have refused to return. Among the 690 respondents surveyed, 67 per cent had been displaced more than once and 95 per cent had been displaced since 2011.

By 20 May 2021, around 535 displaced families from Tawergha residing in the Naval academy in Janzour, a makeshift IDP settlement, had been ordered to leave the premises. While some of the families returned to Tawergha, others relocated in Tripoli with relatives or rented accommodation. Some of the returnee families had a high level of vulnerability with members needing special medical treatment or elderly with reduced mobility. Humanitarian partners are tracing the families and assessing their needs in Tawergha and in other locations, while collaborating closely with the Ministry of IDP Affairs on durable solutions.

Access to water and electricity has generally improved compared to previous years. However, certain municipalities are still facing difficulties. As such, the Mayor of Al-Ryayna and municipal council members issued a statement seeking help from drought in the Al Jabal Al Gharbi municipality and water shortages from wells. At the end of May, residents of Al-Mujahid neighbourhood in the city of Houn in Al Jufra municipality also protested the deterioration of water services, having lived without water supply for over two months. More than 1,000 households in the neighbourhood lack running water and families depend mainly on water trucking, which cost 120 dinars (US$24) per truckload. Electricity infrastructure continues to be under attack. In May, three power stations in Sirte and one power plant in Sebha were robbed and vandalized by unknown assailants, posing a threat to the electrical grid.

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