Hommam Al Nassim 
The Libyan Minister of the Interior, Imad Trabelsi, announced his country’s categorical rejection of the settlement of immigrants on its territory, noting that between 70 and 80% of foreigners in Libya are “irregular.”
Al-Trabelsi explained in a press conference in Tripoli that “today there are approximately 2.5 million foreigners in Libya,” noting that “70 to 80% of them entered illegally through porous areas of the country.”
The minister stressed that the immigration issue is a national security issue for Libya, adding: “The time has come to solve this problem, because Libya cannot continue to pay the price.”
He pointed out that migrants, unlike Libyans and regular foreigners, do not pay for electricity or taxes, which has led to Libya transforming from a transit country into a resettlement country.
Trabelsi stressed that the Libyan authorities intend to “regulate foreign workers,” who constitute an effective force in the country with a low population density, where the population reaches 7 million people.
He noted that Libya, with the help of the International Organization for Migration and its voluntary humanitarian return program, has been able to return 6,000 migrants since the beginning of the year and 10,000 in 2023, according to official figures.
It is noteworthy that the minister’s statements come ahead of the “Mediterranean Migration Forum” scheduled to be held in Tripoli on July 17, to discuss “a new strategy for development projects in countries of departure,” with the aim of slowing migrant flows.
It also comes after the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, denounced “widespread violations” against migrants and refugees in Libya, which extend through a dangerous transit route that passes through the Sahara Desert and the southern Mediterranean.
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