On 23 June, after the Benghazi-based Government of National Stability (GNS) banned citizens of Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia from entering Libyan territory, Amnesty International warned that this move is part of a broader racist, xenophobic crackdown on refugees and migrants, especially Black and racialized people, by the “eastern-based ‘Libyan government’”. The organization notes that the ban may exempt diplomats and some health or education workers, but said it coincides with ongoing EU efforts to deepen migration cooperation with Libya, despite extensive evidence of serious human rights violations against migrants, asylum seekers and refugees there. Amnesty called on ‘Libyan authorities’ to revoke the discriminatory ban, end policies targeting people based on nationality, race or ethnicity, and halt mass arbitrary detention and unlawful expulsions. It also urges the EU to stop unlawful cooperation with Libya on migration control, rather than expand it.
