Eastern Libya Bans Entry of Afghan and Iranian Nationals

The government based in eastern Libya has decided to ban the entry of Afghan and Iranian citizens through all land, sea, and air crossings in the region. This restriction, announced in an official statement by the government, has so far been imposed without any specific reasons provided by the authorities.

The Ministry of Interior in this region is responsible for enforcing this decision and has stated that individuals without valid residence permits will be expelled from Libya. However, diplomatic and consular representatives along with their family members, as well as individuals working in the health and education sectors with valid work permits, are exempted from this restriction.

This move comes after the eastern Libyan government previously imposed similar restrictions in June of this year against citizens of Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia. Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011, Libya has become a significant route for irregular migration to Europe via the Mediterranean Sea and has been divided into eastern and western regions since 2014.

According to United Nations statistics released in June, more than 900,000 migrants are present in Libya, whose status remains uncertain due to ongoing political tensions and conflicts between governments in the country.