EU delegation refused entry into eastern Libya by government

An EU migration delegation has been refused entry by the eastern government of Libya, after the delegation visited the rival government in Tripoli first, according to the Associated Press on July 8th.

The purpose of the delegation’s visit to Libya was to formulate stricter migration measures against those crossing the Mediterranean sea from Libya into Europe. Libya’s northern coast has become a crucial transit point for migrants to leave Africa through.

According to the Associated Press, the EU has spent millions of euros over years to try and address the people smuggling operations and rise in migration that has arisen from the disorder and instability in Libya.

The delegation included the EU migration commissioner Magnus Brunner, the Greek Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and Malta’s Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri.

Upon arriving in Libya, the delegates stopped in Tripoli to meet with Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah of the UN recognized government there. 

Libya split into two rivalling administrations following the overthrow and killing of dictator Moammar Gadhafi, with both governments being backed and recognised by different foreign governments.

When the party arrived in eastern Libya, the head of the government Osama Hammad said that the ministers and Brunner were unwelcome and denied their entry into Benghazi.

Hammad’s statement said that the ministers had entered illegally and not followed Libya’s diplomatic conventions.

The statement read that the ministers were in “flagrant contravention of established diplomatic norms and international conventions, and through actions that demonstrably disregard Libyan national sovereignty, as well as in violation of Libyan domestic laws,” and added that the delegations “are urged to engage with the Libyan Government in accordance with the principle of reciprocity, as enshrined in international agreements, treaties, and diplomatic custom.”

All foreigners must coordinate with both administrations in Libya if they want to visit both governments, and to visit eastern and southern Libya, they must get permits from the eastern government.

The Greek Deputy Prime Minister responded to the refusal of the delegation, saying that “in Benghazi — perhaps because the visit to Tripoli came first — the Benghazi government decided it would not receive the European Commissioner and the three ministers. I don’t think that was a constructive move, especially given that the European Union is genuinely trying to find a solution to this very unusual situation — just as it has tried with our other southern and eastern neighbors — on a complex issue like migration.”

Associated Press, Maghrebi.org