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UNHCR has announced it will be distributing more emergency aid in Tripoli to help the most vulnerable during Ramadan, as war and the novel coronavirus pandemic increase difficulties for many.

The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR announced on May 3 that it would bebeginning "a series of extra emergency distributions in Tripoli, toassist some of the most vulnerable people during Ramadan, as war andCOVID-19 present new threats."

Thefirst distribution took place on Sunday to 100 people in a deprivedarea of Tripoli where many live without sufficient water orsanitation. Some of those helped on May 3 told UNHCR staff they hadrecently been released from detention in Libya. Many of them had beenworking as day laborers but due to restrictions placed on them by themeasures taken to combat the coronavirus, they had lost their onlysource of income.

Food for a month

Each package, stated the UNHCR press release, contains a food parceldesigned to sustain someone for one month, water purificationtablets, from fellow UN Agency UNICEF, and a hygiene kit.

Theagency is aiming to reach 500 people by the end of the first weekand to have provided aid to about 4,000 by the end of the Muslim holymonth of fasting.

Jean-PaulCavalieri, the UNHCR Chief of Mission in Libya said: "We recognizethat daily life in Libya is terribly difficult, for Libyans as wellas refugees and asylum seekers." Cavalieri said that war andCOVID-19 had just made things even more challenging."

'Ramadan is a time to show solidarity'

Cavaliericontinued that "Ramadan is an important time to show solidaritywhen people are really struggling with their daily needs." He saidthat the lack of work meant that many who had been getting by were "unable to [] support themselves"

As wellas food packages, UNHCR said that they were also providing extra helpwith the Libyan health care system, which had been severely impactedby the conflict. "Many hospitals or health facilities, located inareas close to the conflict, have also been damaged or closed."

Thepress release stated that the UNHCR and partners are providing "generators, ambulances, pre-fab containers and tented clinics insupport of local health care services across the country." Corerelief items, including soap, have been distributed in Misrata andBenghazi to try and help at least 20,000 displaced people. "Severaldetention centers where hygiene conditions are very poor," havealso been targeted with relief.

As well as physical aid, UNHCR and its partners have stepped up theirpublic information campaigns, aiming to inform migrants about how toprotect themselves against being infected with the novel coronavirus.

Public health campaign

In avideo, a UNHCR volunteer Suleiman, originally from Somalia, tellsrefugees to "stay at home, wash your hands, and please take care ofyourselves." Suleiman is working with the UNHCR in Libya "toprotect refugees from the coronavirus," explains the video.Suleiman and the other volunteers share tips via WhatsAppabout how tohelp protectthemselves and others.

Other agencies are also distributing food and aid in Tripoli andbeyond. IOM Libya tweeted on April 30 that it was busy distributing aid to 150 migrants in Tripolialongside the World FoodProgramme (WFP).

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UNHCR increases relief to refugees and migrants in Libya during Ramadan - InfoMigrants