Libya's eastern government imposes entry ban on citizens of four African nations
As of June 2026, the eastern-based parallel government of Libya has prohibited the entry of nationals from Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia. This decree entirely restricts citizens from these four Sub-Saharan African nations from accessing eastern Libyan territory through all land, sea, and air ports. The restrictions do not extend to accredited diplomats, consular missions, their families, and certain foreign workers in the health and education sectors. The decree was enacted by the Benghazi-based parallel government, led by Osama Hamad, which maintains a close alliance with military commander Khalifa Haftar. This administration functions independently from the United Nations-supported government situated in Tripoli. An official source from the eastern government indicated that this policy aims to "reorganize the entry of foreign nationals" and to mitigate the significant flow of irregular migration towards Europe. With Libya currently hosting an estimated 900,000 to 3 ...