Libya’s eastern authorities ban Iranian and Afghan nationals

Libya’s eastern-based government banned the entry of Iranian and Afghan nationals through all land, sea and air ports, the government said late on Wednesday.

The move extends entry restrictions the eastern administration imposed on nationals of four African countries in June, in a country split between rival governments in the east and west since 2014.

The government did not give a reason for the decision.

"The nationals of both Iran and Afghanistan are prohibited from entering Libyan territory through all land, air, and sea ports of entry," the government said in a statement posted on its verified Facebook page.

It added that the Ministry of Interior would be responsible for implementing the decision and for deporting Iranian and Afghan nationals who do not hold valid residence permits. 

Libya has become a transit route for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty to Europe across the Mediterranean since the fall in 2011 of dictator Muammar Gaddafi to a NATO-backed uprising. Factional conflict has split the country since 2014.

The Benghazi-based government of Osama Hamad is allied to military commander Khalifa Haftar, who controls the east and large areas of southern Libya.

The internationally recognized government of Abdulhamid Dbeibah, who came to power through a UN-backed process in 2021, is based in Tripoli.

In June, Hamad's government banned nationals of African countries – Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia – citing a  "reorganization ‌of foreign nationals’ entry to Libya".

The members of ‌accredited diplomatic and consular missions and family members are exempted, the statement said.  The same applies to those working in medical and educational professions, provided they have obtained work authorizations.

Libya is home to more than 900,000 migrants, according to UN data collected in June.