On 17 September, UNHCR released an estimation that as of 15 September 2024 over 97,000 Sudanese refugees have arrived in Libya since April 2023. This includes over 45,452 refugees registered by UNHCR, mainly in the city of Kufra. About 95% of the UN-registered Sudanese refugees in Libya entered not through official border crossings. According to Libyan authorities, some 65,000 Sudanese have arrived in Kufra.
UNHCR said that needs are increasing due to continued Sudanese arrivals, particularly in the areas of health, water, sanitation and hygiene, cash, food and shelter. Refugees are in precarious health conditions and require immediate assistance, including nutritional support. Water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure is overwhelmed, risking the spread of disease. Immediate support is needed to improve access to water and latrines. According to the UN, local authorities are providing significant support, including access to public health services and school enrollment, but support to local communities is needed throughout the country as Sudanese refugees continue to move to coastal towns.
On 19 September, Abdullah Suleiman, the spokesman of the municipality of Kufra, said the city is now home to 40,000 officially registered Sudanese refugees. This figure does not include the many refugees who have entered the country without registration, suggesting that the true number might be much higher. The spokesman highlighted the difficult humanitarian conditions the refugees face, describing the lack of adequate support from both local and international organizations. Stressing that the situation is dire, he complained that the assistance arriving is minimal.
Muftah al-Sharawi, head of a department of the Anti-Illegal Immigration Authority in Tubruq, said that the number of Sudanese refugees entering Libya through Egypt was almost non-existent in the past but has increased to about 2,000 between March and late August, most of them families with Egyptian asylum cards. He attributed this to various reasons including the economic situation and the high living costs in Egypt. According to al-Sharawi only a negligible number of these Sudanese refugees intend to embark on the risky journey to Europe. They consider Libya as a welcoming environment, where they can live and work without the language barrier.