279,000 Libyan children shut out of school by conflict

A Libyan student at the al-Bashayer school in Benghazi

The United Nations has warned that the Libya conflict is preventing some 279,000 children from attending school across the war-torn country.

国产视频淩ecently released data from Libya国产视频檚 Ministry of Education paints an alarming picture of education access,国产视频� the UN国产视频檚 Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

国产视频淎 total of 558 schools across various regions of Libya (were) classed as nonfunctional, affecting approximately 279,000 school-age children,国产视频� OCHA said in a report yesterday.

Schools had closed 国产视频渄ue to partial or complete damage as a result of conflict and fighting,国产视频� it said.

In some cities including Libya国产视频檚 second city of Benghazi, 国产视频渁 number of schools have become shelters for the displaced, preventing children from accessing them,国产视频� it added.

For more than two years, the eastern city has been rocked by fighting between forces loyal to the internationally-recognised parliament and armed groups including the jihadist Islamic State group.

Children return to school in Benghazi in December

The violence has forced most schools in Benghazi to close in mid-2014, with only about a third reopening in December last year.

To the west, the coastal city of Sirte has lost more than three-quarters of its total population after ISIL overran it in June last year, OCHA said.

It said that since April and May, 35,000 people fled Sirte as forces loyal to Libya国产视频檚 UN-backed unity government launched an offensive to retake the city from the jihadists.听

国产视频淗ost communities are struggling to provide assistance国产视频� as increasingly more people flee Sirte, putting a burden on infrastructure,OCHA said.

国产视频淲ater and sanitation conditions国产视频� are deteriorating rapidly and hospitals face shortages of beds and medical supplies to aid growing numbers of patients.国产视频�

Rival militias in Libya have been vying for power since the overthrow of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

The unity government 国产视频� the result of a UN-backed power-sharing agreement in December 国产视频� has been striving to assert its authority amid the chaos.

漏 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

Note from A World at School: One in four of the world国产视频檚 school-age children 国产视频� nearly 500 million 国产视频� live in countries affected by crises such as conflicts, natural disasters and disease outbreaks. About 75 million of them are either already missing out on their education, receiving poor quality schooling or at risk of dropping out of school altogether.

Find out how the Education Cannot Wait fund aims to reach more than 13.6 million children and youth living in crisis situations with quality education over the next five years and 75 million by 2030.