Map › Crises A-Z › humanitarian crisis
Migrants and refugees in Libya and the Central Mediterranean route
Libya is the main departure country on the Central Mediterranean route to Italy, and since the war in Sudan broke out in April 2023 growing numbers of Sudanese have arrived there.
Open on the interactive globeIn April 2026 about 943,800 migrants were in Libya, and on 1 September 2026 UNHCR had registered 109,171 refugees and asylum seekers, including 93,617 from Sudan. Since June 2026 protests in Tripoli have blocked the premises of UNHCR and IOM, and in July heat of up to 50 degrees C caused power grid failures. According to IOM, by mid-September 2026 arrivals on the Central Mediterranean route had fallen by more than half, while the number of dead and missing rose from 844 to 996.
Numbers with sources
| Value | As of | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| People displaced | 109,171 | 1 September 2026 | data.unhcr.org |
| Deaths | 996 | 17 September 2026 | aljazeera.com |
Needs
- protection
- health
- shelter
- food
Who is helping
Organisations that, according to their own publications, work on this event (2). Donations go directly to each organisation's own website - GLOBURNS does not handle payments.
- International Organization for Migration (IOM)IOM is the UN migration agency, assisting displaced people and migrants and running the Displacement Tracking Matrix. In Haiti it tracks displacement caused by armed…Donate on the organisation's website (donate.iom.int)
- UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)UNHCR protects refugees, internally displaced and stateless people and runs camps and registration. In eastern Chad it supports refugees arriving from Sudan.Donate on the organisation's website (donate.unhcr.org)
Sources
- data.unhcr.org data.unhcr.org/en/country/lby
- acaps.org acaps.org/en/countries/libya
- aljazeera.com aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/17/migrant-crossings-to-europe-by-sea-drop-sharply-amid-heighte…
- iom.int iom.int/news/new-iom-data-migrant-arrivals-europe-fall-39-2026-while-deaths-continue-rise
- libya.iom.int libya.iom.int/
- sosmediterranee.org sosmediterranee.org/latest-news/
Seed record, before editorial verification. Every number links to its source; report errors on the Corrections page. Methodology · Corrections
Other events in this category
- Famine in Darfur and Kordofan Northeast Africa
- Humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan South and Central Asia
- Humanitarian crisis in Syria Middle East
- Ebola epidemic in eastern DRC Central Africa
- Energy and humanitarian crisis in Cuba Caribbean
- Crisis in Venezuela and migration South America
- Drought and hunger in Somalia Horn of Africa
- Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar South Asia