The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new humanitarian project to expand essential health and mental health services for Sudanese refugees and vulnerable local communities in southern Libya.
The eight-month project is funded by European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations. It will focus primarily on Kufra, with additional support provided in Al-Qatrun.
The programme aims to reduce illness and deaths among Sudanese refugees by improving access to medical treatment, mental health support, diagnostic services and specialist referrals.
WHO will deploy integrated mobile medical teams to remote farms, informal settlements and other areas where health services remain difficult to access.
The teams will include general practitioners, gynaecologists, paediatricians, mental health specialists and trauma doctors. Trained community health workers will support them by conducting follow-up visits, health awareness activities and outreach programmes.
Selected public health facilities will also receive support to treat refugees and other vulnerable people with severe or complicated medical conditions.
Priority will be given to women, children, people with disabilities, patients with chronic illnesses and individuals with limited mobility.
WHO Representative and Head of Mission in Libya Dr Ahmed Zouiten said Sudanese refugees in southern Libya continue to face serious barriers to receiving essential health care, particularly in underserved areas.
He said the partnership would allow medical teams to reach people living in remote farms and isolated settlements, ensuring they are not left without treatment.
The project will also train local health authorities and frontline workers in emergency preparedness, disease outbreak detection, infection prevention, mass casualty management and emergency stabilisation.
These measures are intended to improve the resilience of the local health system and strengthen its ability to respond to outbreaks, emergencies and sudden increases in demand for medical services.
The project builds on WHO’s humanitarian response in Kufra, where the organisation has maintained an operational presence since July 2024.
WHO said it would continue coordinating with national and local health authorities, humanitarian organisations and community representatives to provide fair and dignified health care for Sudanese refugees and host communities across southern Libya.
