Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) has dismissed recent reports claiming that the country plans to resettle undocumented immigrants, labelling the reports as “misleading” and “completely false” in an official statement.
The reports emerged following a meeting over the week-end in Tripoli between Minister of Local Governance Badr Al-Din Al-Toumi and Nicoletta Giordano, the chief of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) mission in Libya. The claims spread widely on social media but have now been categorically refuted by the Libyan Government.
The GNU reaffirmed Libya’s firm stance on illegal migration, recalling its clear opposition to immigrant resettlement during the Trans-Mediterranean Migration Forum in Tripoli in July 2024. It reiterated the country’s commitment to working with the European Union and other international partners to address illegal immigration while emphasizing the importance of national sovereignty and human rights in these efforts.
Libya, a key departure point for African migrants attempting to reach Europe via the Mediterranean, has faced significant migration challenges since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. In related developments, Prime Minister Abdul-Hamed Dbeibah recently expressed his government’s support for UN initiatives aimed at promoting stability in Libya during a meeting with Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, the newly-appointed Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya.
