Italy's government said Wednesday it will funnel 1.4 million euros of emergency aid to war-wracked Libya, where the Islamic State jihadist group has exploited the country's violent decent into chaos to expand its territory.
The funds will be channelled to international aid organisations operating in Libya and "will focus on protecting the most vulnerable people and on health care for its population as well as preventing migrants from crossing the Mediterranean," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Of the total funds, 500,000 euros will go to the Red Cross to help people left homeless by the conflict and 450,000 euros to the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR, the ministry said.
Around 450,000 euros will be donated to the International Organisation for Migration for essential items for people forced to flee their homes and to help repatriate migrants, the ministry added.
"This is intended to give concrete help to the Libyan people," it stated.
Libya plunged into chaos after the 2011 ouster of longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi. It has had rival administrations since 2014 when and Islamist-backed militia alliance overran the capital, Tripoli, forcing the government to flee to the eastern city of Tobruk.
The United Nations is pressing both sides to accept a power-sharing deal it hopes will reverse the territorial gains of IS, which has in recent weeks been threatening to seize control of Libya's oil wealth.
