STORY: The U.N. refugee agency has said it's expanding its Sudan aid plan to Libya and Uganda, after a surge in arrivals.
:: Derna, Libya
:: September 14, 2023
Sudan's 14-month-old war has already created the world's worst displacement crisis, with some 12 million people forced to flee their homes and more than two million across borders.
On Tuesday (July 2), a UNHCR planning document showed the agency expects to receive 149,000 refugees in Libya before the year-end, and 55,000 in Uganda.
UNHCR spokesperson Ewan Watson said most of those arriving in Libya were fleeing Darfur where ethnic violence has escalated.
"It just speaks to the desperate situation and desperate decisions that people are making, that they end up in a place like Libya, which is, of course, extremely, extremely difficult for refugees right now."
The arrivals in Libya raise the prospect that refugees may risk the dangerous Mediterranean route to reach Europe.
:: Derna, Libya
:: September 14, 2023
That's a scenario which the UNHCR's chief has already warned about if aid is not provided.
The Sudan aid response is suffering from a shortage of resources.
:: Omdurman, Sudan
:: April 7, 2024
That's amid record humanitarian needs due to multiple crises around the world and as some donors retrench due to domestic budget constraints.
The latest expansion of the U.N. response plan brings to seven the number of African countries taking in large numbers of Sudanese refugees.
