Libyan authorities recently ordered ten international aid organizations to suspend their operations and close offices in the country, accusing them of providing humanitarian assistance to help resettle African migrants in “a plot” to change the demographic composition of Libyan society. The statement reflects similar incendiary comments from Tunisian President Kais Saied in 2023, echoing the white supremacist “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory. Libya remains a key transit point for refugees and migrants attempting to reach Europe, with those intercepted in the Mediterranean often subjected to numerous human rights violations and abuses in Libyan detention centers. Italy, under far-right Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, has become a central enforcer of Europe’s increasingly securitized migration policies, prioritizing political gain over human rights concerns and signaling a broader European Union (EU) shift towards normalizing hardline approaches to migration.
As Aid Groups are Expelled, Libya Remains a Key Player on Migration – The Soufan Center
