Tripoli accuses the organisations of attempting to settle sub-Saharan migrants in Libya [Getty]
Libya announced on Wednesday a decision to suspend the work of 10 international humanitarian groups, accusing them of a plan to “settle migrants” from other parts of Africa in the country.
War-torn Libya is a key departure point on North Africa’s Mediterranean coast for migrants, mainly from sub-Saharan African countries, risking dangerous sea voyages in the hope of reaching Europe.
Salem Gheith, spokesman for the Libyan Internal Security Agency (ISA), said that the now-barred NGOs were involved in “hostile actions that undermine” national security.
“The plan to settle migrants of African origin in Libya is seen as a hostile act, which is aimed at altering the demographic composition of the country and threatens Libyan society,” Gheith told a news conference.
The Norwegian Refugee Council, Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Terre des Hommes, CESVI and six other groups were ordered to suspend operations in Libya and their offices in Tripoli were shut, Gheith said.
The announcement comes after 17 mainly European ambassadors and a UN official had accused the ISA in a letter, which was obtained by AFP on Wednesday, of an “ongoing crackdown” on non-governmental groups and humanitarian aid workers.
In war-torn Libya split between two rival administrations, the ISA reports to the interior ministry in the capital Tripoli, seat of the UN-recognised government.
The diplomats’ letter to the Tripoli-based foreign ministry, dated 27 March, said that “the ISA summoned at least 18 staff members from six international NGOs for questioning” and seized some of their passports.
ISA agents also forced them to “resign from their positions” and pledge in writing never to work for an international NGO again, the letter said.
The diplomats said that “many other organisations are suspending activities as a matter of precaution”.
‘Bear the burden’
Violence and instability in Libya since the 2011 overthrow and killing of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising helped turn the country into a fertile ground for human traffickers.
Smugglers and traffickers have long been accused of abuses.
According to UN figures, there are more than 700,000 migrants in Libya.
Libyan authorities, however, say the actual figure is much higher.
Gheith charged that the European Union “has exploited the instability” in Libya and used NGOs as a “tool” to force the resettlement of migrants, also accusing rights groups of “money laundering” and meddling in internal affairs.
Imad Trabelsi, the Tripoli-based interior minister, said last month that the country “will not bear the burden of illegal immigration alone and will not become a settlement zone”.
In their letter, the diplomats from the European Union, France, Britain and other countries, as well as a top UN humanitarian representative, voiced concern about the impact of the ISA’s measures “on the provision of humanitarian primary health assistance”.
The letter urged authorities to allow the NGOs to “reopen their offices and safely restart humanitarian operations as soon as possible”.
(AFP)
