A high-profile EU delegation, including ministers from Italy, Greece, and Malta, as well as EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner, was abruptly deported by eastern Libyan authorities for allegedly violating entry protocols. The eastern administration, led by Osama Hammad and backed by military commander Khalifa Hifter, deemed the visit a breach of diplomatic norms and national sovereignty. The delegation had sought cooperation on curbing migrant smuggling, a persistent issue in Libya. Their earlier stop in Tripoli, Libya’s western capital under a rival government, reportedly sparked the backlash. While Brunner downplayed the incident, critics seized on the irony of Italy’s hardline interior minister—long critical of migration—being denied entry on migration grounds.
africanews
