This Egyptian father and daughter fled Libya to Tunisia. From there, they boarded a U.S. Air Force plane for a lift to Cairo.

Washington
14 April 2011

International humanitarian groups are pouring assistance into North Africa as the number of people fleeing the fighting in Libya passes 500,000.

This work proceeds as the conflict causes greater civilian suffering. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said April 13 that the administration has seen continuing reports of “brutal attacks” by Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi’s forces on civilians, in violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973.

“The regime has reportedly destroyed crucial food supply warehouses [in Misurata] and cut off water and power to the city, laying siege to the Libyan people in an apparent attempt to starve them into submission,” she said. “Snipers have targeted civilians seeking medical attention, and thousands of civilians are being forced out of their homes by regime attacks with tanks and artillery.”

Clinton and NATO allies discussed the campaign to protect Libyan civilians during a meeting in Berlin April 14. NATO has taken over the lead role in that operation after the U.S. military led the first wave of the campaign, which also provides some protection for government opposition forces by targeting Libyan military equipment and installations.

On the humanitarian front, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Department have contributed $47 million to support assistance to both Libyans and third-country nationals who are fleeing the country’s uprising against the Qadhafi regime. A U.N.-distributed map of the exodus shows the largest number of people — approximately 240,000 — fleeing into Tunisia. Almost 200,000 have headed for the Egyptian border while smaller numbers search for safety in the other countries sharing a border with Libya — Sudan, Chad, Niger and Algeria.

People began leaving Libya seven weeks ago. The numbers peaked in the first week as third-country nationals working in Libya headed home when the internal dispute began. As the fight drags on, the number of people leaving the country remains steady at several thousand per week. Some Libyans have decided to remain in the country, but they move from place to place to avoid the conflict.

The U.S. military is supporting the humanitarian effort. The Department of Defense has supplied planes and ships to help evacuate Egyptians in Libya to their home country.

USAID has a disaster assistance response team on the ground in Benghazi that is working with other international and nongovernmental organizations to assess the humanitarian needs.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs describes the situation in Misurata as “dire.” Thousands of third-country nationals are trying to find passage out of the port city as opposition forces and pro-Qadhafi forces battle it out. An OCHA situation report also cites an increased number of children being killed in the skirmishes.

The conflict and the impact of people fleeing it are felt beyond North Africa. More than 1,000 have arrived in Malta and more than 26,000 in Italy.