Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal has ordered the country's solidarity ministry and Algerian Red Crescent to deliver food and medicine to the war-affected populations in the south-west region of neighboring Libya, an activist told Xinhua on Sunday.

Amer El Koni, a member of a relief committee formed by local associations in the locality of Djanet, near border with Libya, said the problem now is that the south-west region of Libya lacks relief groups or local authorities to coordinate with this humanitarian operation.

El Koni added that the Algerian authorities decided to get in touch with tribal elders and humanitarian associations in Libya, including the Libyan Red Crescent in order to work with them and carry food and medicines to suffering and affected populations in the localities of Ghdames and Ghat.

Later last week, activists told Xinhua that volunteers have been collecting staple food and donations, in a bid to send them to the needy in Libya.

The first four shipments of aids had been taken on Wednesday to the border crossing of Tinalicom between Algeria and Libya, pending green light from authorities to enter the Libyan territories, humanitarian activist Oussal Saad said.

Population in the southwest Libya are suffering food shortage following the deteriorating security situation in the country, while the prices of staple food soared recently and forced people to call for help of their relatives in Algeria.

After the chaos hitting Libya, the Algerian authorities decided in May to close all the crossings with its eastern neighbor, except when it comes to allow humanitarian aids through.

Algeria also deployed some 50,000 troops along its 1,000 km borderline with Libya to thwart potential attacks by armed groups linked to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and the infiltration of arms.