Libya's eastern government bans entry of nationals from four African countries

BENGHAZI, June 23 - Libya’s eastern-based government on Tuesday banned the entry of nationals of four African countries, a decision a government source said was due to a "reorganization of foreign nationals’ entry to Libya".

"Citizens of Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia are prohibited from entering Libyan territory through all land, sea, and air ports,” according to a decree by the parallel government in Libya’s second-largest city Benghazi.

The Benghazi-based government of Osama Hamad is allied to military commander Khalifa Haftar, who controls the east and large areas of southern Libya.

The internationally recognized government of Abdulhamid Dbeibah, who came to power through a U.N.-backed process in 2021, is based in Tripoli.

An eastern-based government source told Reuters that the decision is aimed at "reorganizing foreign nationals’ entry to Libya".

The decision exempts members of accredited diplomatic and consular missions and family members from the four countries.

It also exempts workers in the education, medical and allied health professions services provided they obtain the necessary approvals and valid work contracts from relevant authorities.

Libya has become a transit route for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty to Europe across the Mediterranean since the fall in 2011 of dictator Muammar Gaddafi to a NATO-backed uprising. Factional conflict has split the country since 2014.

The North African country is home to more than 900,000 migrants, according to U.N. data collected early this year. REUTERS