According to UNHCR, as of 31 March 2026, 110,908 refugees and asylum seekers were registered in Libya. From these, 91,494 are from Sudan. As of February 2026, IOM recorded 936,134 migrants from 47 nationalities in Libya. There are estimates that in total there are even 2.5 million foreign nationals in the country, around 80% of whom entered irregularly.
There has been an increase in deportations and arrests of migrants across the country in recent weeks, as well as an increase in hate speech and violence against migrants, driven in part by the ‘No to Resettlement’ movement which has organized protests and is demanding the removal of migrants. According to Amnesty, the crackdown has involved sweeping arrests of thousands of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants nationwide, including in Ajdabiya, Al-Bayda, Benghazi, Derna, Sabratha, Sebha, Sirte, Tripoli, and Tobruk. The eastern-based Directorate for Combating Illegal Migration (DCIM) announced on 24 May that between 7,000 and 8,000 migrants were detained in the east and south pending their expulsion; among them 4,500 foreign nationals, including Sudanese who have been arrested since May.
On 17 June, Rwanda received its 23rd group of 173 asylum seekers evacuated from Libya under the Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM), a joint humanitarian initiative with the African Union and UNHCR established in 2019 to protect vulnerable migrants from severe abuses. Comprising individuals from Sudan, Eritrea, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia, the group was transferred to a transit center to receive temporary shelter, medical support, and protection. Since its launch, the ETM in Rwanda has hosted over 3,000 evacuees, with 2,623 already resettled to third countries, reinforcing Rwanda’s ongoing commitment to international humanitarian responsibility-sharing amidst the wider global displacement crisis.
On 24 June, the (eastern) DCIM deported 218 migrants from Benina Airport in Benghazi in a 24‑hour operation involving three consecutive flights, returning Bangladeshi, Yemeni, and Pakistani nationals after completing legal, security, and health checks. Officials said the effort, one of the branch’s largest in recent months, targeted individuals with security records, infectious diseases, and migrants intercepted on Mediterranean routes, framing the operation as part of broader measures to enforce immigration laws and combat smuggling.
On the same day, 41 illegal migrants were transferred from Sirte to Benghazi as part of preparations to return them to their countries of origin. The Agency said the group, made up of Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals, was moved from the Sirte shelter centre to the Greater Benghazi shelter center, where final procedures for their repatriation will be completed in line with Libyan laws and regulations. Between 25 and 29 June, at least 191 further illegal migrants were deported by the (eastern) DCIM.
Between 12–22 June 2026, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) assisted 687 migrants in voluntarily returning from Libya to Chad, Mali, and Nigeria, providing medical care and protection under its Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) program. The latest flight carried 162 Chadians from Benghazi to N’Djamena, alongside earlier returns of Gambian and Nigerian nationals, all part of a long‑running initiative that has enabled over 100,000 voluntary returns from Libya since 2015 with support from the EU and coordination from relevant consular authorities.