Hundreds protest in Libya outside UN agency against undocumented migrants

Protesters accuse the UN of settling undocumented Migrants in the country, a claim the agency rejects.Hundreds of Libyans have gathered outside the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) headquarters in Tripoli to protest against undocumented Migrants that they say should leave Libya.Protesters on Thursday chanted “Libya-belongs-to-libyans" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="140483" data-entity-type="topic">Libya belongs to Libyans” and called for the closure of the UNHCR headquarters in the capital. They were seen holding signs reading: “Our love for our country is not racism” and “Libya is not the world’s garbage bin.”Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Gov’t building set ablaze and several injured in Libya football violencelist 2 of 3Migrants ‘feared for their lives’ as Libyan gunmen fired on rescue shiplist 3 of 3Intisar Shanib becomes first woman to head football club in Libyaend of listDemonstrators accused the UN agency of seeking to settle undocumented Migrants in the North African country.Since a NATO-backed uprising in ⁠2011, Libya has become a transit route for hundreds of thousands of Migrants fleeing conflict and poverty, often from Sub-Saharan Africa, with many risking dangerous journeys across the ⁠desert or the Mediterranean.The UN agency in Libya, UNSMIL, affirmed the rights of all Libyans to express their opinions, but warned about the spread of “misleading information and hate speech” regarding its work in the country, “which contributes to increased tensions and incitement against the UN national and international officials”.Libyans take part in a demonstration in front of the UNHCR office in Tripoli on June 4, 2026, demanding the departure and closure of the UNHCR offices and declaring ‘No to foreign settlement in Libya’ [AFP]UN agencies “are not implementing any programmes to resettle Migrants in Libya and all claims against that are completely unhealthy”, the mission said in a statement on Thursday.The UN High Commission for Refugees Affairs is “working to find solutions outside Libya for people fleeing wars, conflicts and persecution, including evacuation to third countries, and voluntary return to their countries when circumstances allow”, it added.