Libya

Since the conflict in Sudan began in April 2023, Libya has seen a significant influx of Sudanese refugees, primarily entering through key points such as Alkufra, Tobruk, and the southern border. Alkufra, in southeastern Libya - a region with harsh, arid conditions and few public services available – is the main entry point for Sudanese refugees fleeing the conflict in Sudan. Once being medically cleared and registered with the authorities in Alkufra, refugees will normally try to reach coastal cities like Benghazi and Tripoli, but face challenges in doing so, including limited and expensive transport options. The difficult conditions make movement from the border extremely challenging for many refugees, while host communities in Alkufra feel the strain of overstretched services. 

Once registered with eastern authorities in Alkufra, Sudanese refugees are provided with security registration cards, recognized in the South and South-East,  that allow them freedom of movement and access to public services. UNHCR is only allowed to register refugees in Tripoli with no government registration in place in the West. As of 1 April 2025, there are 66,716 Sudanese refugees registered with UNHCR in Libya. Sudanese refugees continue to flee a dire situation: 31% of Sudanese refugees have prior residence in Khartoum and 18% are from Darfur. Approximately 41% of the new arrivals are women and girls and 40% children. They face critical shortages in healthcare, water, sanitation, and hygiene services, and temporary accommodation – currently most live under plastic sheeting – overwhelming the already limited resources in Libya. Moreover, school-aged children need access to education, many of whom have already missed a year of schooling.

UNHCR's strategic priority is to support the response by Libyan authorities to enhance the protection environment, with a focus on access to legal documentation and providing life-saving assistance to refugees, seeking solutions for the most vulnerable groups and supporting the host communities. There are concerns that many Sudanese refugees in Libya may attempt the dangerous Mediterranean crossing to Europe if they do not receive adequate support.

While Libya is considered a middle-income country, it is heavily dependent on oil and gas revenues and an estimated 803,000 people, including displaced Libyans, asylum-seekers, refugees, and migrants, are in need of humanitarian assistance. Despite the government's efforts, the influx of refugees from Sudan has stretched public services to the breaking point. 

There is a clear need for greater collaboration with development partners to support the self-reliance of Sudanese refugees arriving in Libya, particularly by providing employment opportunities and minimizing the impact of the large number of Sudanese refugees on host communities and as a consequence the overstretched public services.  Increasing focus is put on the significant number of new arrivals, many of them are skilled workers, including doctors, nurses, and teachers, who could contribute to Libya’s workforce, a practice observed at limited scale in Alkufra and elsewhere in Libya. Female-headed households or people with disabilities, in particular, require additional support due to their vulnerabilities. Access to freedom of movement within Libya is tied to obtaining a security registration card, and health certificate in Alkufra. Those holding security cards are allowed to move to areas with higher levels of economic activity, however, they are still required to regularize their employment through the employer. UNHCR certificates are not recognized by the authorities as legal documentation. 

With support from the Joint Data Centre on Forced Displacement, the World Bank, UNHCR, IOM and WFP have collaborated to undertake a socioeconomic longitudinal survey of refugees and migrants in Libya from 2022-2024. The main objective of the activity was to establish a solid base of socioeconomic data on migrants and refugees. The survey gathered data across 18 months (2022 to 2024) and focused on both populations' economic conditions, access to essential services, and coping mechanisms in response to challenges in Libya. The report and key findings are expected to be released in early 2025.

Among Sudanese refugees registered with UNHCR in Libya, a significant number have secondary (45%) or university (24%) levels of education. This is particularly true for those arriving after April 2023, where the university-level arrivals rose from 10% pre-crisis to 20% post-crisis. This is consistent with household surveys of newly registered refugees showing rates of university level education around 22.7%. Comparing 2023 and 2024, the percentages remained relatively stable for the education categories of those fleeing to Libya. 

Trends show a slight increase in those with professional backgrounds, consistent with the education levels noted above. Among Sudanese refugees arriving after April 2023, the percentage of professionals rose from 8% to 11%, suggesting that more professionals fled due to adverse conditions associated with crisis. After the emergency declaration in Libya in August 2024, to increase access to registration and protection, the UNHCR Libya Operation rolled out emergency registration processes, including capturing a limited dataset, which does not record occupation. Thus, an analysis of the occupation profile is not available. 

Long-running fragility in Libya has resulted in gaps in infrastructure and public services, and deep institutional deficits. Despite these challenges, the State of Libya welcomes refugees, and consequently, investments by development partners would bolster the resilience of the host communities and refugees by supporting their access to essential services, shelter, and livelihood opportunities. These investments are needed, in Alkufra as well as many other cities, even if many refugees along the border are seeking to move to coastal cities where they can find jobs and register with UNHCR in Tripoli. Access to registration remains key to protection and solutions, therefore, support to registration efforts by UNHCR and the authorities is a strategic objective.

In Alkufra, which is now estimated to host more refugees than the number of Alkufra residents, immediate investments are needed to improve access to basic services. In this regard, the authorities in Alkufra requests to prioritize food and health support to vulnerable refugees, such as pregnant women and children. Further resources are necessary to support the education sector and accommodate the influx of students. In terms of healthcare, arrivals are suffering from malnutrition and injuries, with no access to basic sanitation, latrines, or clean water, raising the risk of cholera and other diseases. Waste management systems are also needed.