The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Friday that it had stepped up its activities in conflict-torn Libya to provide emergency assistance to refugees and internally displaced people amid the pandemic
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th May, 2020) The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Friday that it had stepped up its activities in conflict-torn Libya to provide emergency assistance to refugees and internally displaced people amid the pandemic.
"Amidst deteriorating security conditions, as well as restrictions on movement due to COVID-19, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has provided emergency assistance to some 3,500 refugees and internally displaced Libyans during the last two weeks," the agency said in a press release.
According to the UNHCR, the assistance package of one month's worth of food and hygiene kits has helped nearly 4,000 of the most vulnerable people in different sites across Libya. In addition, many people who were supporting themselves through daily labor cannot work due to the curfew and other restrictions related to the COVID-19 outbreak.
"A snapshot survey by the Mixed Migration Centre suggests some 75 per cent of refugees and migrants lost their jobs in March and April. Before Ramadan, some said they could only afford to eat one meal per day. Others formerly received extra assistance from relatives through international money transfers but were now struggling as this had stopped in recent weeks. Some are facing eviction threats from their landlords as they have fallen behind with rental payments," the press release said.
Once the coronavirus-related restrictions were imposed, food prices spiked in most cities across Libya. In addition, prices for hygiene items have gone up by at least 60 percent, with prices for gloves and masks having more than tripled.
"The ongoing conflict and continued shelling, despite calls for a humanitarian pause, has severely impacted the country's fragile health system and medical services, which have limited resources and face shortages of basic equipment and medicines," the agency added.
The UNHCR has repeated UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' call for a global ceasefire amid the pandemic. The agency has also urged the international community to come forward with further funding to meet the rising humanitarian needs as a result of COVID-19.
Libya has confirmed less than 100 cases of the disease and three fatalities.
