Warlord-aligned authorities in eastern Libya have shut the door on nationals from four African nations, issuing a decree that bars citizens of Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia from crossing into the country by land, air or sea.
The order, issued Tuesday by the Benghazi-based administration of Prime Minister Osama Hamad, reflects mounting pressure across the divided country over irregular migration. Tensions have risen in recent months in both eastern and western Libya against the resettlement of refugees from other countries, with mass crackdowns resulting in thousands of arrests, according to Amnesty International.
“Citizens of Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia are prohibited from entering Libyan territory through all land, sea, and air ports,” read the decree, which a government source said was part of a “reorganization of foreign nationals’ entry to Libya.”
The Hamad administration governs in parallel to the internationally recognised Government of National Unity in Tripoli, led by Abdulhamid Dbeibah, who came to power through a UN-backed process in 2021. Hamad’s government is closely aligned with military commander Khalifa Haftar, whose Libyan National Army controls the east and large swathes of the south. Planned elections in December 2021 were postponed indefinitely, leaving rival administrations to issue their own rules on movement, security and migration.
The ban is not absolute. It exempts accredited diplomatic and consular staff and their families, as well as workers in education, medicine and allied health fields, provided they secure the required approvals and valid work contracts from the relevant authorities.
The new ban represents a reversal of a different eastern policy toward Sudanese nationals. As recently as December 2025, eastern foreign minister Abdelhadi Al-Huwaij chaired the inaugural meeting of a Benghazi-based committee tasked with regularising the legal status of Sudanese nationals in eastern Libya.
According to the United Nations, Sudanese nationals make up the largest single group among more than 900,000 migrants and refugees currently in Libya. Many are attempting to reach Europe, but boats are regularly intercepted and returned, with migrants ending up in government-run detention centres documented for abuses, including forced labour, beatings, rape and torture, which UN-commissioned investigators have described as crimes against humanity.
Around 1,000 deaths have been recorded in the Mediterranean since the start of 2026, with most departures originating from Libya. The North African country became a principal transit corridor for migrants after the NATO-backed overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 plunged it into factional conflict that has never fully subsided.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah