By Libya Herald reporters.
Tunis, 21 June 2016:
The humanitarian crisis in Libya rages unabated, with 250,000 migrants and refugees struggling to survive, over and above the 417,000 internally displaced Libyans, according to UNSMIL deputy chief Ali Al-Za’tari.
He warned: “Refugees, asylum seekers and migrants face significant protection issues and humanitarian needs, including denied or very limited access to healthcare, education and other basic services”.
Za’tari, made clear however that the picture was not all bad. “There are many host Libyan communities that have been providing essential aid to the refugees crossing their territories, albeit with limited means and resources. We salute them, and we pledge to assist them to the best of our ability”.
Nevertheless, he bemoaned the cash shortage faced by the UN’s 2016 Libyan Humanitarian Response Plan, of which he is the coordinator. “Despite the dire needs, ” he said, “ the HRP remains poorly funded” and could not provided a proper humanitarian response to those in desperate need.
Of the 250,000 migrants identified by the HRP in Libya, Za’tari said that 100,000 were refugees and asylum seekers. He did not mention the likelihood that many of the migrants would be seeking to pay human-traffickers for a place on an unseaworthy craft heading toward Europe.
