UK to contribute £2 million support to refugees in Libya fleeing violence in Darfur

LONDON, United Kingdom -- International Development Minister Anneliese Dodds has today [Friday, July 12] pledged new UK aid funding to provide life-saving assistance to up to 150,000 Sudanese refugees who are fleeing escalating violence in Darfur. 

It’s estimated that more than 2 million people have fled Sudan due to the violence which erupted following a coup in April last year, including more than 1,200 people entering Libya daily.

This forms part of the Government’s commitment to work with international partners to address the humanitarian crises which lead people to flee their homes, and to strengthen support for refugees in their home region.

This £2 million package will go towards the humanitarian response in the hard-to-reach Alkufra region, where the UN estimate up to 45,000 refugees are currently in desperate need of support.

Health provision in Alkufra is minimal and was struggling even before the humanitarian crisis. Under the strain of thousands of refugees, in need of medical assistance, the system is now on the verge of collapse.

Alongside international partners, this funding will help deliver much-needed emergency health, water, sanitation, hygiene, and child protection services to an estimated 150,000 individuals taking refuge in Eastern Libya, as well as the communities hosting them.

The Minister of State for Development, Anneliese Dodds said:

The UK is committed to delivering life-saving aid to some of the world’s most vulnerable people, including children, as they flee violence in war-torn Sudan. Alongside our international partners, this support in Libya will deliver much-needed water and emergency health, sanitation and hygiene services to these displaced refugees."