Anti-migrant protests grow in Libya amid EU Pact shift

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Tripoli to protest against the presence of migrants and refugees in Libya, highlighting a growing wave of anti-migrant sentiment at a time when the country is becoming increasingly central to European migration management.

According to InfoMigrants on 5 June, protesters assembled outside the headquarters of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), blocking roads and demanding an end to what they described as the settlement of migrants in Libya. Demonstrators called for the closure of migration-related facilities and accused international organisations of encouraging the long-term presence of foreign nationals in the country.

The mobilisation was also supported by the “No to Settlement and Naturalisation – Libya for Libyans” movement, which has been actively campaigning against any form of permanent migrant settlement. According to Libya Herald on 3 June, the group urged Libyans to resist what it described as attempts to transform Libya from a transit country into a destination country for migrants and refugees. Organisers framed migration as a threat to national identity, social cohesion, and state sovereignty, reflecting concerns that have become increasingly widespread across different regions of the country.

The demonstrations reveal a growing contradiction at the heart of European migration policy.

For years, the European Union and its member states, as Italy, have pursued a strategy based on externalising migration control to neighbouring countries, particularly Libya. Through financial assistance, training programmes, maritime cooperation, and support for migration enforcement mechanisms,

This approach is expected to become even more significant as the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum becomes operational on 16 June.

At the same time, however, Libya itself is showing increasing signs of resistance to becoming the destination envisioned by many of these policies.

European actors are currently expanding migration cooperation with eastern Libyan authorities linked to Khalifa Haftar, further integrating Libya into the EU’s migration architecture. The move comes despite persistent concerns raised by human rights organisations regarding conditions faced by migrants intercepted and returned to Libya.

Meanwhile, Libyan authorities are seeking to strengthen their own migration governance structures. On 4 June, officials announced plans to establish a national migration body tasked with coordinating migration policies and managing the increasing pressures generated by migrant movements through the country.

On the same day, according to Libya Observer the Tripoli Social Council publicly rejected what it described as plans for the settlement of migrants in Libya, warning against any policies that could transform the country into a destination for people intercepted on migration routes towards Europe.

While European governments continue to view Libya as a key partner in reducing arrivals across the central Mediterranean, many Libyans increasingly reject the idea that their country should host large migrant populations or serve as a permanent holding area for people prevented from reaching Europe.

Migrants are increasingly unwelcome in Europe, where border controls continue to tighten, but they are also facing growing hostility in Libya, the very country where many are intercepted, returned, and expected to remain.

InfoMigrants, Libya Herald, Libya Observer, Maghrebi.org