East Libyan official opposes migrant resettlement plans
The Foreign Minister of Libya’s eastern government, Abdel-Hadi Al-Hwaij, stressed firm opposition to any European plans to use the country as a destination for migrant resettlement, according to the Libya Review on December 1st.
He emphasised that Libya “will not become Europe’s policeman in the Mediterranean” and cautioned that any such proposals would jeopardise national security and erode sovereignty.
Al-Hwaij voiced this concern during a round table titled “Migration and Security in a Divided World: Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation.” The event was composed as part of MEDays International Forum, which was hosted between 25th and 29th November in Tangier, Morocco.
His remarks are indicative of Libya’s increasingly assertive management of mass irregular migration flows and efforts to preserve stability across the Mediterranean corridor.
So far in 2025, 24,673 migrants travelling across the Mediterranean Sea towards Europe have been intercepted and returned to Libya, a figure which has already surpassed the total amount documented in 2024.
Al-Hwaij also underlined Libya’s geographical significance, with its proximity to Europe making it one of the core migrant transit routes into the continent. He stated that this fact places heightened responsibility on Libya to preserve maritime, Sahel, and North African security.
Libya’s political fragmentation into two rival governments after late dictator Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in 2011 has facilitated the development of what Chatham House labelled “an economy dominated by violence.” Amid this volatile political environment, migrant trafficking and smuggling has flourished.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported that roughly 867,055 migrants are currently in Libya, with 33% of them being Sudanese asylum seekers fleeing their country’s brutal civil war.
Al-Hwaij noted the intensifying efforts to dismantle migrant trafficking and smuggling gangs, which he claims has helped to constrict irregular migration routes and bolstered stability. He reiterated the need for efficient border control to be supplemented by cooperation between countries of origin, transit, and destination.
During the round table session, Al-Hwaij gave an overview of the “Benghazi Declaration”, a comprehensive Libyan framework which seeks to tackle the root causes of irregular migration by enhancing regional and international cooperation mechanisms.
Libya Review, MEDays Forum, Maghrebi.org, Chatham House
Want to chase the pulse of North Africa?
Subscribe to receive our FREE weekly PDF magazine
