New Government, More Problems: Libya’s Humanitarian Crisis

Less than 6 months have passed since the two warring factions of the Libyan conflict signed the October 23 ceasefire. The two former opposing sides of the civil war, the Government of National Accord (GNA) and the House of Representatives (HoR), have since then decided on establishing peace to pave the way for a unitary government to be formed. The agreement was an important and necessary step. The aim being the establishment of a stable and united Libya, through the cessation of military operations and a united effort against terrorism (Wintour, 2020) (German Federal Government, 2020). The Government of National Unity was formed on the 10 March, acting in the interim until a new government is elected in the 2021 Libyan General Election, the first election in seven years (Bugaighis and Eaton, 2021).

It is apparent that the Government of National Unity has an enormous development and humanitarian challenge on its hands. Over half a decade of civil war has led to widespread devastation, death, thousands displaced and human rights violations, leaving the government struggling to find resolve (Sabbagh, Burke and McKernan, 2019). An issue that the new Libyan government should direct its recognition towards is that of internally displaced people (IDPs). Since the start of the war thousands of civilians had been forced to flee their homes in order to avoid the raging conflict of the country. This has led many to lose their homes and forced some to congregate within refugee and displacement camps (Al-Bayati and Taraboulsi-McCarthy, 2019).

The Crisis of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Libya

Given the ceasefire, there is an opportunity to resolve some of the issues surrounding IDPs. This area is an important issue across many NGO’s and is additionally recognized in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Zeender, 2018). Allowing IDPs to return home, or to be compensated for the loss of property, is an integral step towards resolving many of the ills caused by war. Overall IDPs are particularly vulnerable in regard to education and health, including malnutrition. A step towards tackling the humanitarian crisis that Libya faces would be ensuring the protection and security of IDPs, to ensure a better outcome for the next generation. Protecting and reintegrating IDPs back into normal life would provide a safer environment in the future, leading to political stability and eventually economic opportunity.

As of October 2020, there were approximately 392,241 IDPs in Libya. This number also includes 229,295 people who have been displaced since the conflict in Tripoli and surrounding areas in April 2019. Areas that prevent the alleviation of the IDP issue include government budgetary costs necessary to prevent further conflict, such as; housing and health. Firstly, housing policy would require accommodating many IDPs who refuse to return and rebuilding the homes of those who wish to. Secondly, the impact of the war would have left many families requiring medical care and treatment that would be necessary in bringing some level of normalcy back to their lives (IDMC, 2020). This could include care provided for from the physical and psychological impact caused by staying in refugee camps.

Source: International Organization for Migration, 2019

Source: International Organization for Migration, 2019

Currently, Libya is at crucial point in the process infrastructure reconstruction. All government bodies will need to take a humanitarian approach if they are to focus down a path towards a prosperous future. According to some estimates, about 1.3 million people need some form of humanitarian assistance. The highest areas in Libya requiring assistance were Alkufra, Benghazi, Ejdabia, and Tripoli due to the impact of armed conflict (GHO, 2021). These are also major cities considered to be the backbone of the Libyan economy and the centre of country’s political control. Improving the lives of individuals in need could restore confidence in the government during this unstable period for Libya. Humanitarian action taken up by the Government of National Unity, such as recognizing the problems posed by IDPs, could be the next step towards preventing further conflict.

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