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Libya

IOM DTM - Derna Returnee Rapid Assessment - 13 January 2019

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BACKGROUND

Following the onset of clashes and shelling in Derna in May 2018, more than 35,000 individuals were reportedly displaced, many of them to surrounding areas of Derna, such as Al Bayda, Shahat, Alqubba and Tobruk, but also locations further away in Western Libya.

As the security situation has gradually been improving in most neighborhoods of Derna over the past months, at least 6,985 families previously displaced families returned to Derna. However, the security situation remains tense in parts of the old city where intermittent skirmishes between radical militants and security forces continue to be reported. In the rest of the city daily life reportedly normalized, yet a curfew between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. is currently in place.

RETURNEE RAPID ASSESSMENT

Between 04 January and 07 January 2019, DTM Libya conducted a returnee rapid assessment in Derna to identify humanitarian priority needs. During the assessment, interviews were conducted with 290 randomly selected returnee families composed of a total of 1,819 individuals (505 men, 507 women, 807 children). Geographic coverage of the assessment were all neighborhoods in Derna, except the old city. Surveyed households in Derna returned to the neighborhoods of Maghar, El Bilad, Abu Mansour and Alajabilh. Furthermore, information was collected from 45 key informants across all neighborhoods in Derna. Findings were verified through observations by DTM enumerators where applicable.

FINDINGS

  • Approximately two-thirds (67%) of the identified returnee population was able to return to their previous homes while others returned to Derna but are staying with host families (12%) and rented accommodation (21%).

  • Damage to housing structures was reported to be considerable with many buildings experiencing at least minor damage, in need of shelter rehabilitation.

  • The most frequently mentioned priority needs were food, NFIs and health. Those who did not return to their own homes and are staying in rented apartments or with host families overwhelmingly identified shelter as their most urgent need.

  • Half of the interviewed families (52%) received humanitarian assistance. The main source of humanitarian aid cited by interviewees was ICRC and the type of humanitarian aid received food and NFIs.

  • Basic services related to the provision of electricity, water and sanitation were reported to be available in all neighborhoods except the old city, although only intermittently in some cases. Likewise, schools were open and health facilities reported be functional (but limited in the range of medical services available).

  • Suspected presence of unexploded ordnances was reported in Derna, particularly in the neighborhood Al Bilad.