The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced on Tuesday that at least 20,000 Sudanese refugees have arrived in Libya since last year, with a significant increase in arrivals over the past few months.
UNHCR’s Ewan Watson revealed to journalists in Geneva that the agency has expanded its assistance plan for Sudan to include Libya and Uganda following the influx of tens of thousands of refugees to these countries in recent months. Watson noted that at least 39,000 Sudanese refugees have reached Uganda.
“This only highlights the dire situation and desperate decisions made by those ending up in a place like Libya, which is extremely challenging for refugees at the moment,” Watson said, according to Reuters.
Last month, Nouri Al-Saadi, Head of the Libyan Anti-Illegal Immigration Agency under the parliament-designate government, stated that approximately 500,000 Sudanese have fled to Libya due to the ongoing conflict in their country.
In an interview with Sputnik, Al-Saadi highlighted that during a recent visit to Kufra, he observed the influx of Sudanese refugees reaching between 400,000 to 500,000 individuals escaping the war.
He noted that most migrants entering Libya come from Chad, Sudan, Niger, and neighboring countries, with Sudan contributing the largest number. Over the past two months, more than 5,000 migrants have been repatriated from Libya to their home countries. This includes 2,987 Sudanese, 385 Nigeriens, 614 Chadians, 185 Somalis, 406 Eritreans, and 111 Ethiopians.
Al-Saadi criticized the European Union for not supporting border control efforts in Libya’s southeast and southwest regions, stating that EU assistance is limited to the Illegal Immigration Control Authority in Tripoli, under the government of Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.
He further expressed disappointment with international organizations, including UN-affiliated bodies, for their insufficient support. He emphasized that the Sudanese crisis is not solely a Libyan issue, urging global responsibility for Sudanese refugees. According to Al-Saadi, the humanitarian aid provided by these organizations does not meet the scale of the crisis.
In April, the Security Information System, under the Southeastern Emergency Response Room, commenced the registration of Sudanese refugees in Kufra. This initiative, as stated in a press release by the Ministry of Interior’s Security Media Office of the Libyan Government-designate, aims to control and manage the inflow of displaced individuals within the region.
According to the announcement posted on the Ministry’s Facebook page, the registration process witnessed a large turnout of Sudanese refugees. The primary goal of this operation is to enumerate the Sudanese refugees residing in the southeastern area to prevent human traffickers and smugglers from exploiting or extorting them.
Additionally, the registration system facilitates the issuance of special ID cards to these displaced persons, enabling access to medical care, necessary health screenings, and free vaccinations for children and women.
Ameen Karameldin, the head of the Steering Committee of the Sudanese Community in Kufra Municipality, mentioned that community members have responded positively to the call from the Emergency Room, submitting their documents to receive the security registration card from the system.
The initiative highlights the Libyan government’s proactive steps towards addressing the challenges associated with migration and providing essential services to vulnerable populations, ensuring their protection and integration within the local communities.
