The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has issued an urgent appeal for $13.5 million in additional funding to maintain its life-saving assistance to Sudanese refugees currently in Libya. Without immediate financial support, the agency warned it will be forced to scale back or halt food and nutrition aid to thousands of vulnerable people starting mid-June.
According to WFP’s latest operational update, the agency provided humanitarian support to 58,456 people, including distributing 602 metric tons of food and over $64,000 in cash assistance to Sudanese refugees in cities including Benghazi, Sebha, and Zawiya.
The call for emergency funding comes amid a worsening humanitarian crisis triggered by the ongoing war in Sudan, which erupted in April 2023. By the end of April 2025, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that Libya had received nearly 313,000 Sudanese refugees—an increase of more than 56,000 from the previous month alone.
The situation is expected to deteriorate further. UNHCR’s revised 2025 response plan anticipates that by the end of the year, up to 621,000 people will require humanitarian assistance inside Libya—a 40% increase from November 2024 estimates.
In response, WFP has expanded its operations in line with the joint 2025 Sudanese Refugee Response Plan. The April distribution included 578 metric tons of general food aid to 46,565 Sudanese refugees, along with specialized nutrition support for 4,236 children under the age of five and 1,989 pregnant or breastfeeding women.
These vulnerable groups received 12.5 metric tons of lipid-based nutritional supplements and 11.3 metric tons of fortified date bars to combat malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. In addition to food aid, WFP provided cash transfers averaging 5,666 Libyan dinars per recipient, aiming to support both refugee families and host communities.
Despite these efforts, the agency warned that current resources are insufficient to maintain operations beyond mid-June. Of the total $13.5 million urgently required, $5 million is needed to fund essential activities between June and November 2025.
WFP stressed that unless donors step in quickly, tens of thousands of refugees could lose access to basic food and nutrition, placing even greater pressure on Libya’s already fragile social and economic systems.
