TRIPOLI, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- A total of 9.2 million U.S. dollars are urgently needed for the food assistance program in Libya in the next six months, said the World Food Program (WFP) on Friday.
"The humanitarian situation in Libya continues to deteriorate due to ongoing conflict, political instability, disruption of markets and local food production, all of which affect families' livelihoods and their ability to meet basic needs, including food," the WFP said in a statement.
Vital food aid was delivered to families displaced by violence in Libya's western city of Sabratha, it added.
Thousands of families fled their homes in Sabratha due to weeks of heavy fighting that erupted between rival militias.
"Because of the conflict, many of the normal systems that people depend on to meet their daily needs have ceased to function," said Richard Ragan, the Libyan director of the WFP.
"WFP is delivering enough food this week to feed the 1,500 people who have been severely affected," he added.
The program also aims to provide assistance to 175,000 Libyans in urgent need for food supplies in 2017. Priority is being given to the most vulnerable families, especially internally displaced people, returnees and refugees, as well as households headed by unemployed women, according to the statement.
