On 29 October, the NGO Doctors without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)) announced that they had received a letter from the Government of National Unity (GNU) Ministry of Foreign Affairs ordering the organisation to leave Libya by 9 November. MSF explained that since the suspension of their activities in March, they continued to engage with the authorities, expressing their desire to provide medical care in Libya.
Steve Purbrick, head of programmes for MSF in Libya, said that they deeply regret this decision and they are concerned about the consequences for the health of the people they assisted. They believe that MSF still has an important role to play in Libya, particularly in the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis, in supporting the Libyan health system, and also in providing access to healthcare for refugees and migrants, who are, according to Purbrick, excluded from care and subject to arbitrary detention and serious violence. He stressed that there are now no international NGOs providing medical care to refugees and migrants in western Libya.
Pubrick stated that no reason had been provided to justify the expulsion and that the process remained unclear. He added that MSF’s registration with the relevant national authorities was still valid, and expressed hope that a positive resolution to the situation could be found.