Dubai: Humanitarian agencies have appealed for donations in the Gulf for relief in Libya, saying the humanitarian situation there could escalate as loyalists of Muammar Gaddafi move to retake eastern Libya.

Representatives of UN agencies meeting in Dubai to coordinate relief efforts in North Africa say they have received less than half of the money needed to implement their relief efforts.

"We are very concerned about the [Libyan] population in the east of the country where fighting is likely to proceed to," said Muktar Farah, head of the Middle East liaison office at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha).

Terri Toyota, the World Food Programme's director of Government Donor Relations, said that only $17.7 million (Dh65 million), or 45 per cent, of the resource requirements of the agency have been met, adding that another $21.5 million is required for the agency to implement its plans.

Officials from the agencies said that the nature of refugees fleeing the violence in Libya had changed in recent days, raising concerns about increasing requirements.

"Before, it was migrant workers fleeing Libya but now we see Libyans with families trying to leave the country," said Brigitte Khair Mountain, a representative of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

She said that the families came from eastern Libyan towns recaptured by Gaddafi loyalists, like Ajdabia.

Farah said the agencies were in contact with both the Gaddafi government in Tripoli and the rebel government in Benghazi.

Mountain said that while the government in Tripoli had initially allowed UN agencies access to towns in western Libya that had seen battles, including the city of Zawya, the regime has since informed the agencies that access would no longer be granted "because there are no humanitarian needs".

Change in positions

The change in positions by the Gaddafi regime could make the work of UN agencies difficult if regime forces retake Libya's second city, Benghazi, which has a population of 1.5 million, but agencies say they have alternative plans in case that happens.

Toyota said the WFP had prepositioned food for 100,000 people in Benghazi, but that a further 100,000 metric tonnes of food per month would be required to support the local population should conditions deteriorate.

"Libya is highly dependent on imported food supplies," she said.

"With rapidly depleting in-country stocks, we are deeply concerned about the consequences on vulnerable people."

"We are asking rebels and the government to guarantee a humanitarian corridor," she said.

The difficulties faced by aid agencies in Libya is also having an effect on aid missions to Chad and south Sudan, since Libya served as a logistics centre for the region.

Figures: Escaping The turmoil

According to the UN High Commission for Refugees, the following refugees, mostly foreign workers, have left Libya:

294,000 via Tunisia of which 16,000 are left stranded at the border — 10,000 of which are Bangladeshis.

123,000 via Egypt of which 5,000 are stranded at the border.

Red cross pulls out

The International Committee of the Red Cross has pulled out of the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, Libya, because of deteriorating security.

The humanitarian institution said yesterday the ICRC has been transferred to the eastern city of Tobruk where it will continue to assist victims of the Libyan conflict.

The head of the ICRC mission in Libya, Simon Brooks, says the group is "extremely concerned about what will happen to civilians, the sick and wounded, detainees and others" who remain in Benghazi, which Libyan forces were closing in on Friday.

Brooks says the Libyan Red Crescent's aid workers are still operating in and near Benghazi.

He says ICRC hopes to return there and also provide aid in the western part of the country, if security improves.

- With inputs from AP