Illegal immigration is a major challenge for Libya, which is experiencing a massive wave of illegal immigrants. This leads to serious health, security and social problems, threatening the country’s identity. Many Libyan cities are seeing an increase in crime, but not only that, there are fears that this could endanger the country’s Arab and Islamic identity. Furthermore, the number of immigrants is straining national resources, causing unemployment and weakening public services. In this regard, the GNU Interior Minister, Imad Trabelsi, called for a united response to address this situation and offered cooperation to the armed forces to protect the country’s borders.
In light of the estimated 4 million migrants, Trabelsi confirmed a comprehensive security plan and extensive measures to manage the situation, collaborating with national and international authorities. The Ministry will soon begin deportation operations, stressing the importance of cooperation between the government, Parliament and the army. It will also be necessary to step up the voluntary repatriation of irregular migrants, improve the conditions of migrant workers and grant legal residence permits to 400,000 people in Libya. The National Institution for Human Rights has also rejected any resettlement plan, advising the Ministry of the Interior to avoid incitement to hatred, warning of legal and security risks related to the escalation of violence against foreigners.
To address the current crisis, the Prime Minister of the GNU, Dabaiba, has initiated meetings with ministers and security services to manage illegal immigration. Confirming that the GNU has no intention of welcoming migrants into the country, he stressed that Libya cannot manage a crisis of this kind and therefore requested help from the United Nations and international organizations. Despite the rejection of resettlement projects, Libya seeks to cooperate internationally, respecting sovereignty and human rights, they say. It should be noted that Libya’s military and security institutions, both Eastern and Western, have decided to create a specialized center for border security, focused on terrorism and irregular immigration. The agreement was reached at a meeting in Tunisia, organized by the United Nations Mission in Libya. The center will focus on risk analysis and proposing solutions to improve border protection. Among the solutions, the possibility of a military operation in southern Libya to combat this phenomenon was not lacking. In this regard, only recently, the press office of the Libyan Agency for the fight against illegal immigration announced, with the help of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the deportation of 191 illegal immigrants, mostly Bangladeshis.
Much has been said about the role of the European Union, which is constantly invited to provide support to address illegal immigration, strengthening security at the southern border and implementing more efficient controls. During a meeting between Trabelsi, Ambassadors and representatives of the EU and the African Union in Libya, it was repeatedly stressed that Libya cannot address this crisis alone, not even becoming a “settlement area”, as defined by the GNU. The concrete support requested from the EU includes strengthening security, modern equipment to monitor illegal flows, rapid repatriations and measures against smuggling and human trafficking. Given the emergency situation, if the EU does not respect its commitment to help Libya, the possibility of a possible closure of the anti-immigration agency was confirmed, due to the lack of resources. It should also be remembered that Libya has not signed or ratified any international agreement on migration, such as the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees, and is therefore not obliged to become a refuge for migrants trying to reach Europe. The EU should therefore respect Libya’s sovereignty, Libyan authorities argue.
Italy is in the spotlight for its immigration agreements with Libya. According to the Italian magazine, “Jacobin”, there are clear problems with Giorgia Meloni’s plan, which wanted to unite economics and immigration policy to strengthen ties with Africa. However, relations between Rome and Tripoli were not an official part of Meloni’s “Mattei” plan. Italy has supported fragile governments in Tripoli since the fall of Gaddafi in 2011, providing particular support to Dabaiba’s Government of National Unity (GNU). Recently, a meeting was held between the Interior Ministers of Italy, Matteo Piantedosi, and GNU, Imad Trabelsi, in order to discuss illegal immigration. Human rights activists revealed that Dabaiba renewed a migrant resettlement deal with Italy that he called “shameful” and that has turned the Mediterranean into a “maritime graveyard.”
In addition, Italy’s decision to immediately release and repatriate Osama Najim, known as al Masri, a senior Libyan security official with ties to militias, sparked protests among politicians and in the Italian justice system. Rome’s prosecutor’s office summoned Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and several ministers to investigate possible charges of aiding and abetting a criminal and misuse of public funds. Classified European intelligence reports also revealed al Masri’s ties to various Libyan militias and alleged human trafficking. Al Masri is described as the leader of a militia involved in violent clashes in Tripoli. Also of concern is a secret meeting between al-Masri and other militia leaders that has raised questions about a possible attack against the Government of National Accord. Al-Masri is also suspected of human trafficking and has been indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for torture and abuse inside Mitiga prison, which has a history of human rights violations.
Camilla Montanari
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