Libyan authorities based in Benghazi have deported at least 117,350 irregular migrants of various nationalities, while over 100,000 Sudanese have registered for a voluntary return programme, the government administering the east and most of the south and appointed by Libya’s House of Representatives said on Monday.
The government’s head Osama Hammad described irregular migration as a matter of national sovereignty and security, calling for tighter border controls, stronger action against human trafficking networks and closer coordination among state institutions, according to a statement.
It said that humanitarian flights have already begun returning Sudanese nationals who enrolled in the voluntary return programme.
It also unveiled a package of measures to tighten migration controls, including stricter border security, new residency regulations for foreign nationals, extending the deadline for regularising the status of foreign workers until the end of 2026, and expanding cooperation with international organisations on voluntary return programmes.
The measures also provide for the immediate deportation of foreigners subject to security restrictions or diagnosed with contagious diseases, improved accommodation standards for single migrant workers, and closer coordination with neighbouring countries to curb irregular migration.
Libya remains split between two rival governments: the internationally recognised Government of National Unity headed by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh and based in Tripoli, which administers western Libya, and a government appointed by the parliament in early 2022 currently headed by Osama Hammad and based in Benghazi, which administers the east and most of the south.
For years, the UN Support Mission in Libya has led efforts to reach a political settlement that would lead to elections, which Libyans hope will end political and armed conflicts and bring to a close the transitional phases that have continued since the ouster of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
