Tripoli, 3 July:
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the the Libyan Red Crescent have delivered food and other . . .[restrict]essential items to some 1,100 migrants held in centres in Qatrun and Murzuk in the past few days, according to an ICRC statement.
The ICRC acted after being to help by the local authorities who have been facing a growing tide of migrants arriving across the southern border.
“These people arrived recently from neighbouring countries,” said Kemal Kimyongur, the ICRC delegate in charge of the distributions. “They are accommodated in very poor conditions and don’t have enough food.
While the local communities and the Libyan Humanitarian Relief Agency (LibAid) had provided some assistance, the migrants were facing growing needs.
“Because we live in a border town, we are constantly under pressure,” said Mohamed Ahmed Saleh, the head of the local council in Qatrun. “Over the past few months we have noticed an increase in the number of migrants crossing into Libya. We are concerned about their living conditions. Besides food and hygiene items, they also need access to primary health care and drinking water. Unfortunately, we don’t have the means to cope with this situation, which is why we asked for support.”
The ICRC and the Libyan Red Crescent distributed salt, sugar, rice, pasta, tomato paste, oil and other food items, and household essentials such as buckets, jerrycans, mattresses, tarpaulins and kitchen sets.
[/restrict]
