Libya: More than 25,000 displaced people due to Tripoli clashes

The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) announced that with the escalation of clashes in the Libyan capital Tripoli, on August 27, the number of displaced people has increased to more than 25,000, half of whom are children.

This came in a statement published by the organisation in Libya, on Monday, on its official Facebook page.

The organisation attributed the statement to Khairat Kabalari, UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, about the escalation of fighting in Tripoli, Libya.

The statement said: “With the escalation of clashes south of Tripoli, more than 1,200 families have been displaced in the last 48 hours alone.” It added that with the displacement of these families, “the total number of displaced people went beyond 25,000, and UNICEF estimates that children constitute half of that number.”

Read: Libya’s AGOCO resumes 3,000 bpd production at abandoned well in Messla

The statement warned that half a million children in Tripoli “are at immediate risk, while more than 2.6 million children are in need of help.”

It pointed out that “more children are being recruited to fight, which puts them at imminent risk. At least one child was killed as a result, according to reports.”

According to the same statement, Libya faces the outbreak of measles, where more than 500 cases have been reported, mostly among children.

It added that more schools are being used to accommodate displaced families, which could delay the start of the school year on 3 October.

UNICEF called on all parties to the conflict in Libya to protect children at all times.

The Libyan capital, Tripoli, was quiet on Monday morning, just a few hours after three Grad rockets fell on the capital’s most significant residential neighbourhoods.