The action followed charges that various were attempting to modify Libya’s ethnic makeup by pushing African migrants to stay.
Some of the groups expelled as reported by BBC includes, Doctors Without Borders, the UN refugee agency, and Norwegian Refugee Council.
“This plan to settle migrants of African origin in our country represents a hostile act. It aims to change the demographic composition of the country and threatens the balance of Libyan society,” said Internal Security Authority spokesman Salem Gheit on Thursday.
Libyan authorities further alleged that the aid groups it targeted supported “illegal migrants by providing them with food, clothes, and medicine, which encouraged these migrants to consider Libya as a final destination and not a transit country”
In response to the move, the UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR) revealed to the BBC that the individuals it assists are not “migrants” but rather refugees in great need.
Additionally, it claims to have the Tripoli government’s approval to operate.
“We are in contact with the authorities in Libya and are following up with them to seek clarity. UNHCR has been operating in Libya for over 30 years, providing humanitarian assistance to refugees, asylum-seekers, and vulnerable Libyan communities,” spokesman William Spindler disclosed.
A week prior, one of the aid groups recently expelled, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) indicated that it had stopped operations in Libya due to a campaign of harassment by Libyan authorities that has involved “summoning and interrogating the staff of international NGOs” since mid-March.
“Our organization is very concerned about the consequences that these orders will have on the health of patients and on the safety of humanitarian workers,” MSF said in a statement sent to the BBC.
Libya currently stands as a major transit point for African migrants looking to cross to the European continent via the sea, and as such, complications such as human trafficking are not a rarity.
