Kufra, Libya_ The United Nations and its agents operating in southeast Libya have been strongly criticized for negligence and lack of cooperation with the local authorities in the municipality of Kufra that have been facing the influx of hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees, a humanitarian crisis which gets worse by the day.
Speaking at a meeting with a high-level UN delegation led by UNSMIL Officer-in-Charge Stephanie Koury, the Mayor of Kufra, Abdulrahman Aqoub, said, “the United Nations has not fulfilled its obligations in the Sudanese refugees’ crisis.”
The municipality’s media office said that Aqoub welcomed the UN delegation’s visit to Kufra but he “directed severe criticism at the international organization and its various agencies that did not fulfill their obligations towards the mounting Sudanese refugee’s crisis in Kufra.”
Georgette Gagnon, the UN Assistant Secretary-General Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya, made the alleged “unfulfilled” obligations during a visit to Kufra municipality last summer. Ms. Gagnon completed her assignment in September and she was replaced by Mr. Aeneas Chapinga Chuma of Zimbabwe.
Aqoub hoped that the visit by the high-level UN delegation to Kufra will be “a starting point towards positive cooperation between the Kufra and UN organizations operating there, in a way that alleviates the suffering of the displaced, supports the host community (namely Kufra) and helps reduce pressure on the service institutions in the city,” the municipality’s media office said.
On its part, the UN in Libya “applauded the solidarity and hospitality extended to refugees nationwide by the Libyan and Sudanese communities, recognizing that public services, especially in the health and education sector, are seriously overstretched,” said a statement by UNSMIL on Friday 20 December 2024.
“The UN commends the existing support from national and local authorities. However, there is a dire need for critical support for local infrastructure to ensure continued services for all people in these areas,” it added.
The UN delegation discussed the “Sudanese Refugee Response Plan for Libya” (SRRPL) with local authorities, partners, refugees, and host communities the statement said. Adding that “this visit aimed to gain firsthand insights into the challenges and successes of the ongoing humanitarian efforts and to identify areas for improvement in providing lifesaving assistance to the growing number of Sudanese refugees in the region and supporting the resilience of host communities, in partnership with Libyan authorities.”
The 2025 SRRPL “aims to support a target population of 446,000 Sudanese refugees and host community members in Libya. The plan aims to mobilize USD 106.6 million covering health and nutrition, education, food security, WASH, and protection sectors. This comprehensive plan is designed to address the immediate needs of refugees while supporting host communities and Libyan efforts,” according to UNSMIL.
The UN delegation included along with Ms. Stephanie Koury the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Aeneas Chuma and representatives from IOM, UNDP, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, and WHO.