Africa-Press. The Libyan government in the east has banned the entry of citizens from four African countries, a decision that a government source stated is part of the “reorganization of foreign entry into Libya.”
According to a decree issued by the parallel government in Benghazi, Libya’s second-largest city, “citizens of Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia are prohibited from entering Libyan territory through all land, sea, and air ports.”
The government of Osama Hamad, based in Benghazi, is allied with military leader Khalifa Haftar, who controls eastern Libya and large areas of its south. Meanwhile, the internationally recognized government of Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, which came to power through a United Nations-backed process in 2021, is based in Tripoli.
A government source in eastern Libya stated that the decision aims to “reorganize the entry of foreign nationals into Libya.” The decree exempts members of accredited diplomatic and consular missions and their family members from the four countries.
It also excludes workers in the fields of education, medicine, and auxiliary health professions, provided they have the necessary approvals and valid work contracts from the relevant authorities.
Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, following a NATO-backed uprising, Libya has become a transit point for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea. The country has been torn apart by factional conflict since 2014. Libya, located in North Africa, hosts over 900,000 migrants, according to United Nations data collected earlier this year.
Medical and security sources reported that 11 more bodies of migrants have washed ashore in eastern Libya in recent days after their boat sank last week, raising the total number of recovered bodies to 26, with fears of dozens more missing at sea.
Last week, 15 bodies of migrants, including a girl, were recovered from several locations along the coast of Tobruk, a city near the Egyptian border. A maritime source reported that ten survivors were rescued, stating that the boat was carrying about 61 people. The remaining 11 bodies were found since Sunday when a woman’s body was recovered.
The coast guard in Tobruk released photos showing members of its search and rescue department, along with volunteers from the Red Crescent, retrieving the bodies and wrapping them in white cloth before placing them in vehicles.
A medical source stated that all the bodies were decomposed, while another medical source added that “all bodies are buried on the same day they are recovered or the next day due to the foul odors and the disappearance of their features.” A security source noted, “In preparation for more bodies washing ashore, security patrols continue along the coasts of Tobruk.”
