When conflict erupted in Sudan in April 2023, millions of civilians were forced to flee their homes in search of safety. While many crossed into Chad, Egypt, and South Sudan, a significant number sought refuge in Libya. Since then, more than 350,000 Sudanese refugees have arrived in the country, though authorities estimate their number to be approximately 1 million. Al Kufra, an isolated desert city located about 240 km from the Sudan – Libya border, serves as the main destination for refugees heading onward to coastal cities. An estimated 70,000 Sudanese refugees are now settled in and around Al Kufra, transforming the town into one of the largest refugee-hosting areas in Libya.
Before the crisis, the city’s estimates of inhabitants ranged between 50,000–60,000 people. The sudden arrival of 70,000 refugees has more than doubled its population, placing unprecedented pressure on already fragile infrastructure and limited public services.
The conditions are extremely challenging. Most refugees live in overcrowded, informal settlements with inadequate shelter, limited access to clean water, and scarce livelihood opportunities. Mobility is restricted, making it difficult to access essential services. Health needs are especially acute: many suffer from chronic conditions that have worsened due to displacement, lack of medication, and poor living conditions. The city’s fragile infrastructure, already stretched thin, struggles to cope with the sudden and sustained influx of people.
Since 2011, the European Union Humanitarian Aid has provided more than €95 million to respond to urgent needs in Libya, including health and water. Between 2024 and 2025, €3.5 million were directed to Al Kufra, strengthening the response to the Sudanese refugee influx. This funding ensures that lifesaving assistance reaches both refugees and vulnerable host communities in one of Libya’s most remote regions, through partners such as:
- the World Health Organization (WHO)
- Première Urgence Internationale (PUI)
- the International Medical Corps (IMC)
Delivering health services
Through EU-supported WHO operations, over 100,000 health services have been delivered since January 2025, across 21 facilities and mobile clinics in Al Kufra, assisting refugees fleeing Sudan’s conflict and local communities alike.
Supported by the EU, IMC coordinates with Libya’s health infrastructure –deploying mobile teams, training local caregivers, and equipping clinics to serve Sudanese refugees and overwhelmed host communities amid the Sudan conflict.
With EU assistance, PUI delivers paediatric consultations in Al Kufra – bringing crucial healthcare to children both displaced and from the host community.
WHO emergency medical teams provide lifesaving care in hard-to-reach areas of Al Kufra, where thousands of Sudanese refugees displaced by the conflict live in overcrowded informal settlements with scarce access to health services.
PUI teams in Al Kufra run nutrition programmes for children under 5. Since early 2025, they have distributed ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) to protect young children from malnutrition.
Since early 2025, WHO teams at the Kufra Psychiatric Centre have delivered over 1,150 consultations, providing vital mental health support for people whose lives were disrupted by the Sudan conflict, from psychosis and epilepsy to depression and anxiety.
Introducing home visits and mobile clinics
IMC teams in Al Kufra conduct home visits for those unable to reach health facilities, delivering follow-up treatment and vital care to refugees displaced by the Sudan conflict and to isolated residents.
PUI mobile health teams in Al Kufra reach remote informal settlements with essential healthcare, from basic consultations to follow-up treatment. Their work brings services closer to people otherwise cut off from clinics and health centres.
Poor infrastructure in informal settlements of Al Kufra leaves communities vulnerable. WHO, alongside its local partners, is working to transform public health by establishing vital water, sanitation, and hygiene services.
In fragile makeshift shelters around Al Kufra, Sudanese refugees face harsh conditions with little protection. IMC nurses carry supplies and provide frontline care directly inside these informal shelters.
In Al Kufra, a PUI-run clinic funded by the EU hosts awareness sessions for mothers and caregivers. Staff explain essential child health, hygiene and nutrition practices, while providing care to displaced families.
