Kufra , July 18(Darfur 24)
Today, Thursday, a high-level delegation from the United Nations inspected the conditions of Sudanese refugees in the city of Kufra on the Sudanese-Libyan border.
The delegation includes the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Libya, Georgette Gagnon, and a number of specialized United Nations agencies, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Libya Office, and the World Food Programme.
Georgette held a meeting in the presence of the security services, the Kufra Health Emergency Room, and the South Security Room, and visited several sites where Sudanese refugees reside.
The Mayor of Kufra Municipality said in press statements that he reviewed the municipality’s most prominent needs to confront the challenges resulting from the increase in refugees and the needs of the health sector to provide appropriate health services for citizens and refugees alike.
He added, “It is expected that this visit will result in the provision of the necessary support by the international organization to provide the needs of the city of Kufra, which helps service institutions fulfill their obligations.”
About 23,000 Sudanese refugees live in the city of Kufra, according to previous statements by the Director of the Information Department of the Kufra Municipality.
Despite the Libyan authorities restricting entry movement, about 500 refugees arrive daily through smuggling operations to the border city neighboring Sudan, which is about 600 km north of the Triangle border area.
In another matter, the municipal guard in Kufra, concerned with environmental sanitation and public health affairs, said that it conducted an assessment of the environmental situation of the places where refugees from the State of Sudan are located in the municipality using health inspection devices represented by the hygiene measuring device, the external air measuring device, and the thermal device, and it was found that General hygiene is very poor, with the lack of good ventilation in their places of residence and the unsuitable places for preparing food.
In a press circular, a copy of which was received by Darfur 24, the agency pointed out the accumulation of garbage and human waste, which constitutes a fertile environment for the spread of diseases.
She revealed that there are no special sterilization materials and disinfectants to prevent the spread of germs, and work and coordination are underway between the competent government agencies to address the situation in order to preserve the health and safety of citizens in the city.