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31 December 2011
Following the popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, anti-government protests in Libya rapidly escalated in February 2011 to an armed conflict which led to the end of the 41-year rule of Muammar Qadhafi, causing several waves of forced displacement. Overall, it is estimated that at least 500,000 people were internally displaced in 2011 as a result of the widespread clashes between pro-Qadhafi and opposition forces and the NATO-coordinated bombardment of the country. Although most of the people displaced returned to their places of origin shortly after the conflict had subsided, an estimated 154,000 people were still displaced at the end of 2011.
The frontlines moved back and forth across Libya: government forces initially controlled most of the west of the country including Tripoli, and opposition groups, who formed the National Transitional Council (NTC) in March, the east. The conflict was particularly intense in certain areas, including the western Nafusa Mountains and cities including Ajdabiya, Misrata, Bani Walid and Sirte. In these cities, sustained sieges or attacks with prolonged shelling and street-to-street fighting led to significant displacement.
Most IDPs took refuge in urban areas. They often fled to nearby towns or moved to safer neighbourhoods within the same city, as in Ajdabiya, Misrata and Tripoli. Most of them stayed with relatives or host families, or sought shelter in public buildings including schools, in coastal holiday resorts, factories or building sites. There were also reports of IDPs staying in improvised settlements in the desert, for fear of harassment from parties to the conflict. This was repeatedly the case for families from Ben Jawad and other towns along the coast to the west of Ras Lanuf.
Throughout the conflict, indiscriminate attacks put civilians including people fleeing the conflict at risk. The presence of landmines and other unexploded ordnance in conflict areas also made it harder for IDPs to return safely and re-establish their livelihoods. The conflict disrupted supply lines, damaged infrastructure and left people facing shortages of drinking water, fuel and medicine. It reduced access to education and health care: hospitals were left heavily dependent on local volunteers after the exodus of migrant workers.
As of early October, returns had increased in many areas where the fighting had subsided following advances by the opposition forces. The NTC declared the country’s liberation in late October, when the hostilities in Sirte and Bani Walid ended. Nevertheless, at the end of 2011, tens of thousands of people were still unable to return to their place of origin because their home had been destroyed, damaged or occupied by others, or because they did not think it would be safe.
Some groups faced reprisal attacks, particularly foreign nationals and others alleged to have been loyal to the Qadhafi government. An estimated 30,000 inhabitants of the city of Tawergha, south of Misrata, were prohibited from returning: they were considered loyal to Qadhafi, and continued to endure violence and human rights violations in their place of displacement, including arbitrary detention, abductions and torture.
During the conflict, IDPs in areas controlled by Qadhafi’s government, such as Tripoli, Zlitan and Gharian, were provided with assistance by the government, the Libyan Red Crescent Society and some private charities. In opposition-held areas, new local councils emerged and played a major role in assisting conflict-affected communities including the displaced population. Libyan organisations provided critical assistance; however, the capacity of civil society organisations remained constrained by their lack of resources and geographical reach. IDPs in improvised shelters in the desert were generally out of the reach of support.
International humanitarian agencies responded rapidly from the onset of the crisis. They initially gathered at the Libyan borders to support those leaving the country. Their presence gradually increased in opposition-controlled areas including Benghazi, Misrata and along the Nafusa Mountains, but their activities in government-controlled areas remained limited.
The cluster system was activated in April, to coordinate international organisations’ responses to the most urgent needs of the affected population. A revised regional flash appeal published in May called for new focus on the needs of conflict-affected comm-unities within the country, including IDPs. However, humanitarian organisations struggled to respond to fast-moving fronts and new waves of displacement, limited access in government-controlled areas, constraints in resources and capacity and prevailing in-security in conflict-affected areas. At the end of the year the cluster system was deactivated and humanitarian activities gave way to longer-term recovery planning. However parts of the population had continuing need of humanitarian support, and groups including remaining IDPs still faced very significant threats and barriers to their recovery.
Libya: New displacements in Kufra as concerns for IDPs remain high (8 March 2012)
One year following the Libyan uprising, IDPs continue to face major protection concerns. At the beginning of 2012 around 60,000 IDPs, principally from Sirte and Bani Walid, returned to their homes. However, UNHCR estimated that there
were still over 93,000 IDPs in Libya, a significant proportion of whom are from tribes alleged to be loyal to Qadhafi, such as the Tawergha and Mesheshiya.
Human rights organisations report that authorities in and around Misrata have
prevented thousands from returning to the towns of Tawergha, Tomina and Kararim. They have further failed to stop local militias from looting and burning homes in these areas, and
carrying out reprisal attacks against IDPs who allegedly supported Qadhafi. Many of these IDPs have been subject to abductions, arbitrary detention and torture.
Meanwhile, the south-eastern town of Kufra saw inter-ethnic clashes between the Tibu and Zwai tribes. The two groups have a long history of violence, and the Tabu had long complained of discrimination under Qadhafi. This recent event has reportedly
resulted in the deaths of at least 100 people, and the displacement of half the population. As of 23 February, there was reportedly no electricity, water or fuel in the town.
In a briefing to the UN Security Council at the end of February, the Secretary General’s Special Representative for Libya
welcomed the adoption of a national electoral law, but identified the lack of measures to ensure the participation of displaced people in election proceedings.
Libya: Thousands still displaced from Bani Walid and Sirte (25 November 2011)
A month since the Libyan interim government declared the country’s liberation on 23 October, many people remain internally displaced and further assistance from international organisations
is needed to avoid local coping capacities being overwhelmed. As of 31 October, according to OCHA, an estimated 80,000 people
had fled from Bani Walid and Sirte, many of them to areas around Tripoli, Misrata and Benghazi; the International Medical Corps (IMC) reported that some 10,000 people from Sirte city centre had
taken refuge on the outskirts of the city. An estimated 30,000 IDPs were
spread across the east of Libya.
In mid-November, however, the Civil Council of Bani Walid
estimated that from 70 to 75 per cent of its population of
between 70,000 and 80,000 had returned. Those remaining in displacement were either still living in camps, or with host families or in rented accommodation. Their return seems to be delayed by damage to their homes and their lack of cash.
The return of IDPs to Sirte has been slower, as electricity supplies are still limited and the infrastructure has been badly damaged. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross / Red Crescent (ICRC), only an estimated 10,000 people displaced from Sirte
had been able to return to their homes by 18 November.
Libya: Displacement increases in conflict areas (7 October 2011)
The number of people internally displaced by the recent fighting in north-west Libya has increased steadily. By 28 September it had reportedly
reached 70,000, with many IDPs seeking shelter with host families but others forced to stay out in the open in desperate conditions. By 2 October, the ongoing deterioration of the situation in Sirte had
led about 10,000 people to leave the city, in vehicles packed with their belongings. At least a third of those displaced are reportedly staying in desert areas within a few kilometres of Sirte.
Meanwhile, 50,000 IDPs from tribes known to be loyal to Qadhafi, such as the Tawergha, Qawalish and Mesheshiya, have
continued to face discriminatory treatment. Local authorities in Misrata have reportedly restricted the provision of humanitarian assistance to certain groups of IDPs; they have also been subjected to arbitrary arrests, mistreated and denied the chance to return.
In many other conflict-affected parts of Libya the situation has gradually
returned to normal, and humanitarian responses have given way to longer-term recovery planning. In eastern Libya, local authorities
estimated in late September that the number of IDPs had fallen to around 24,000 from a July total of
around 220,000, with most of those still displaced originating from the towns of Brega, Bishr, Al-Alaghia and areas further west such as Ras Lanuf.
Libya: Concerns for IDPs and migrants rise as fighting continues (23 September 2011)
On 16 September, three weeks after the entry of rebels into the capital Tripoli, the number of people internally displaced by the conflict in Libya was still unknown. Fighting was ongoing in Sirte, Sebha and Bani Walid; on 11 September, transitional government forces had
given the residents of Bani Walid two days to leave before the town came under attack, and many left to nearby towns or tented camps in the Souf Aljein Valley. The Misrata Military Council
estimated on 20 September that half the 130,000 population of Sirte had fled. ICRC
reported on 15 September that around 1,300 people, mainly from Ben Jawad and other towns along the Mediterranean coast west of Ras Lanuf, had also fled their homes and had been living in tents in the desert.
The situation of the 25,000 inhabitants of the city of Tawergha to the south of Misrata has raised concern, after they fled to Tripoli and its surroundings in fear of reprisals. When in mid-August the conflict reached the city, Tawergha
was completely deserted. Misrata rebels have
arrested dozens of male IDPs from Tawergha in Tripoli, and brought them back to Misrata for detention and interrogation.
Concerns have also been raised over the situation of migrant workers in Libya. Thousands of migrants, particularly Sub-Saharan Africans, are scattered around the capital and
need urgent assistance and protection, as existing racial tensions have been fuelled by the Qadhafi government’s alleged use of African mercenaries. 3,000 migrants have also
sought refuge at an IOM transit centre in the southern city of Sebha, where the security situation has rapidly deteriorated.
Libya: Number of IDPs falls in eastern areas (15 July 2011)
Libya’s internal armed conflict has continued to cause displacement in both the east and west of the country. As of 7 July, UNHCR
estimated that around 218,000 people were internally displaced, including 69,000 in opposition-controlled areas, 49,000 around Tripoli and around 100,000 in the Nafusa Mountains. However, as access to these locations is still limited, these figures have not been confirmed and change frequently as populations move.
The number of IDPs has reportedly decreased, particularly in Eastern areas where the security situation has improved. According to an inter-agency mission, many of the 70 per cent of the population of Ajdabiya who had fled to Benghazi and elsewhere had
returned by 30 June, and only around 20 per cent of the population remained in displacement. Many returnee families were staying with relatives.
In opposition-controlled areas, most IDPs have reportedly
received support from host families and communities, while others live in spontaneous settlement sites, including in schools. Meanwhile, the presence of unexploded ordnance in conflict-affected areas has affected the protection of civilians and the ability of IDPs to return home safely.