Nationals from four East African countries, including Ethiopia, have been banned from entering Libya.
The eastern Libyan government on Tuesday announced a ban on the entry of nationals from four East African countries: Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, and Sudan.
According to a report by Reuters, the parallel government based in Benghazi declared that nationals from these countries are prohibited from entering Libya by land, sea, or air.
Following the war that ended the decades-long rule of Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has been divided between two separate administrations.
The Benghazi-based government, led by Osama Hamad, is allied with military commander Khalifa Haftar, who controls eastern Libya and large parts of the country’s south.The internationally recognized government, headed by Abdulhamid Dbeibah, came to power through a U.N.-backed process in 2021 and is based in Tripoli.
According to Reuters, the decision is intended to “reorganize the entry of foreign nationals into Libya.” The ban exempts members of accredited diplomatic and consular missions from the four countries, as well as their family members.
It also exempts workers in the education, medical, and allied health sectors, provided they obtain the necessary approvals and valid work contracts from the relevant authorities.
Since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that overthrew dictator Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has become a major transit route for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty on their way to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea.
According to U.N. data, Libya is currently home to more than 900,000 migrants.
