EU denies supporting migrant resettlement in Libya

The European Union’s ambassador to Libya, Nicola Orlando, has reiterated that the EU does not support the resettlement of irregular migrants or refugees in Libya, rejecting what he described as ongoing misinformation campaigns surrounding the issue.

In a post on X following a meeting with Libya’s acting Foreign Minister, Taher Al-Baour, Orlando stressed that Libya, like all sovereign states, has the right to determine who may legally enter its territory and to cooperate with regional and international partners in combating human trafficking and migrant smuggling.

His remarks come amid growing public concern over migration issues in Libya and follow protests in Tripoli against what demonstrators described as plans to settle migrants in the country. Protesters blocked the entrance to the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the Al-Sarraj area with earth barriers, while others breached the outer perimeter of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya headquarters in Janzour.

The UN mission has also rejected allegations that any of its agencies, including UNHCR, are implementing programmes aimed at resettling migrants in Libya, describing such claims as entirely unfounded.

Earlier, Al-Baour told Libya Al-Ahrar that the European Union had never proposed turning Libya into a “third country” for hosting migrants. He added that Tripoli had previously rejected a European migration pact that would have involved returning migrants to their points of departure.

Addressing the role of UN agencies, Al-Baour said Libyan authorities had recently requested a review of legal agreements signed with UN bodies over recent years. He noted that UNHCR issues refugee documentation to only seven nationalities: Somalis, Eritreans, Sudanese, South Sudanese, Yemenis, Syrians and Palestinians.

According to Al-Baour, these documents are intended to facilitate the transfer of recognised refugees to third countries rather than allow permanent residence in Libya. He said the process is carried out in coordination with the Ministry of Interior and relevant security agencies.

The acting foreign minister also said Libyan authorities, working alongside the International Organization for Migration and UNHCR, have facilitated the return or relocation of more than 30,000 migrants. Of that total, around 9,000 were processed through UNHCR programmes.

Al-Baour attributed the growing number of migrants stranded in Libya to declining acceptance rates in destination countries, which he said has contributed to a backlog of migrants and refugees remaining in the country.