In her briefing to the UNSC on 18 June, SRSG Hanna Tetteh had a significant focus on migration and the climate of hostility towards migrants in Libya at present, as anti-migrant protests, deportations and deaths at sea continue.
Tetteh said that false and misleading claims – particularly allegations of UN plans to settle migrants or refugees in Libya – have contributed to a climate of hostility, threats, and violence against humanitarian workers and UN personnel, and have already provoked violence against UN premises, underscoring the real dangers posed by disinformation. She added that migration is a legitimate public concern but must be addressed on the basis of facts, not fear, and through responsible public discourse rather than inflammatory, false and provocative narratives. She stressed that ‘the UN in Libya is not in the business of resettling migrants in the country.’
It comes as anti-migrant hatred and protests continue in Libya. On 16 June, protestors shut down the office of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Tripoli, in protest against the way illegal migration is being managed and what they describe as efforts to ‘resettle migrants’ in Libya. A number of demonstrators gathered outside the organization’s headquarters and blocked its entrances with earth barriers, calling for the suspension of its activities.