Libya’s crackdown on NGOs a distraction from internal failures, analysts say

Libya’s suspension of 10 international humanitarian groups, part of a broader crackdown on African migrants, is aimed at masking domestic failures and securing external concessions, particularly from Europe, analysts have said.

Libya’s Tripoli-based authorities announced on Wednesday a decision to suspend the Norwegian Refugee Council, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Terre des Hommes, CESVI and six other groups, accusing them of a plan to “settle migrants” from other parts of Africa in the country.

War-torn Libya is a key departure point on North Africa’s Mediterranean coast for migrants, mainly from sub-Saharan African countries, risking dangerous sea voyages in the hope of reaching Europe.

Anas al-Gomati, director of the Tripoli-based Sadeq Institute think tank, said “this isn’t about NGOs – it’s about creating enemies to distract from failures”.

The UN-recognised government of Abdulhamid Dbeibah is “tapping into conservative anxieties while masking their inability to provide basic services”, Gomati said.

Libya has struggled to recover from the chaos that followed the 2011 Nato-backed uprising that overthrew long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi.