The United Nations has been issuing some dire warnings this week about the worsening humanitarian situation in Libya. The UN’s humanitarian
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The United Nations has been issuing some dire warnings this week about the worsening humanitarian situation in Libya.
The UN’s humanitarian coordinator Ali al-Zaatari has told euronews it’s a disaster which threatens to get worse unless Libyans don’t stop fighting themselves.
Meanwhile the organisation only has a tiny fraction of the funds it needs.
Islamist militants have reportedly been forced out of parts of the eastern city of Benghazi.
But hundreds of thousands of people have either been displaced by the fighting and by the presence of so-called Islamic State militants; many others don’t have access to proper nutrition; medical supplies are running out.
“There are 2,400.000 people, Libyans and non-Libyans, in need of immediate humanitarian aid in Libya. The United Nations estimates it can respond to 1,300.000… The real problem we face today is the lack of sufficient financial resources to implement a humanitarian response. Today we have available only four percent of the financial resources we need,” said al-Zaatari, the UN deputy special representative in Libya, during a visit to Cairo.
While attempts to reach a political resolution have hit obstacles, the UN says $166 million (150 million euros) are needed for humanitarian relief.
It goes on to warn that if the international community doesn’t respond immediately, the consequences will be felt not just in Libya but in other countries too.