Protesters accuse the UN agency of settling irregular migrants in Libya, a major transit hub for those seeking Europe.
Hundreds of Libyans have gathered outside the UN refugee agency’s headquarters in Tripoli on Thursday, with some protesters storming the compound and demanding the expulsion of the agency over allegations of migrant resettlement in Libya.
Demonstrators chanted “Libya belongs to Libyans” among other chants and called for the closure of the UNHCR headquarters in the capital.
They accused the UN agency of seeking to settle irregular migrants in the North African country.
Protesters were seen holding signs reading: “Our love for our country is not racism” and “Libya is not the world’s garbage bin”.
Libya is a key departure point for irregular migrants seeking to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean.
As of mid-2024, the International Organization for Migration estimated that around 900,000 migrants and refugees were living in Libya.
Many of them are Sudanese refugees who have fled war in their home country.
The UN mission in Libya on Monday warned against a “renewed spread of misinformation, disinformation, and inflammatory rhetoric” which it said was “targeting individuals or specific groups”.
The mission called on authorities to “address acts of incitement and the dissemination of harmful false information that may threaten public order, social cohesion, or the rights and dignity of individuals”.
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Hundreds protest in Libya outside UN agency against undocumented migrants
Protesters accuse the UN of settling undocumented migrants in the country, a claim the agency rejects.
Hundreds of Libyans have gathered outside the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) headquarters in Tripoli to protest against undocumented migrants that they say should leave Libya.
Protesters on Thursday chanted “Libya belongs to Libyans” and called for the closure of the UNHCR headquarters in the capital. They were seen holding signs reading: “Our love for our country is not racism” and “Libya is not the world’s garbage bin.”
Demonstrators accused the UN agency of seeking to settle undocumented migrants in the North African country.
Since a NATO-backed uprising in 2011, Libya has become a transit route for hundreds of thousands of migrants fleeing conflict and poverty, often from sub-Saharan Africa, with many risking dangerous journeys across the desert or the Mediterranean.
The UN agency in Libya, UNSMIL, affirmed the rights of all Libyans to express their opinions, but warned about the spread of “misleading information and hate speech” regarding its work in the country, “which contributes to increased tensions and incitement against the UN national and international officials”.
UN agencies “are not implementing any programmes to resettle migrants in Libya and all claims against that are completely unhealthy”, the mission said in a statement on Thursday.
The UN High Commission for Refugees Affairs is “working to find solutions outside Libya for people fleeing wars, conflicts and persecution, including evacuation to third countries, and voluntary return to their countries when circumstances allow”, it added.
It also condemned any incitement of violence or threats targeting UN staff, as well as acts of vandalism and attacks on its personnel and property.
Thursday’s was the largest of several recent anti-migrant demonstrations in Libya, with some of the Libyan population beginning to blame them for social and economic problems that have become more visible during 15 years of conflict and political division in the North African country.
They erected tents, then brought a truck full of sand and closed the main gate of the building with a barrier, shouting, “The Libyan people have said their word,” and carrying signs reading “No to intruders in our country, take them out.”
Libya, with an estimated total population of about 7 million, hosts about 900,000 migrants, according to International Organization for Migration estimates. Many are Sudanese refugees who have fled the civil war in their home country.
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