The international medical organization Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF) announced on Wednesday (October 29) that it has been instructed to leave Libya by November 9, after receiving a formal notice from the country’s Foreign Ministry. The organization said no explanation was provided for the expulsion order.

"No reason has been given to justify our expulsion and the process remains unclear," said Steve Purbrick, who heads MSF’s programs in Libya.

Tripoli cracks down on foreign aid groups

The decision follows months of increasing restrictions on foreign aid groups operating in the country. Earlier this year, MSF’s offices were shut down by Libya’s Internal Security Agency, and several of its employees were questioned by authorities. MSF stated that it was told in March to suspend its operations after its facilities were closed and staff interrogated.

Authorities in Tripoli have previously accused several international non-profit organizations, including MSF, of carrying out "actions that threaten state security." Officials also claimed that these groups provided medical care to undocumented migrants in an effort to settle them within Libya.

In response, MSF expressed regret over the expulsion order and voiced concern about its impact on vulnerable communities.

"We deeply regret this decision by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and we are concerned about the consequences for the health of the people we assist," said Purbrick.

"We believe that MSF still has an important role to play in Libya, particularly in the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis, in supporting the Libyan health system, but also in providing access to healthcare for refugees and migrants who are excluded from care and subject to arbitrary detention and serious violence," he added.

MSF said its registration with Libya’s UN-recognized government remains valid and expressed hope for a "positive solution" to the situation.

Aid departure could mean medical assistance lacking

MSF reported conducting more than 15,000 medical consultations in Libya last year, in cooperation with local health authorities. The group also provided emergency aid after the 2023 floods in Derna, which killed thousands of people.

Libya remains divided between the UN-backed government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and a rival administration in the east. The North African country has faced ongoing instability since the 2011 uprising that overthrew longtime ruler Moamer Gaddafi.

MSF warned that if it leaves Libya, along with restrictions on other humanitarian groups, there will be no international NGOs currently offering medical assistance to refugees and migrants in western Libya.

"This wave of repression also affected nine other humanitarian organisations operating in the west of the country," said MSF. "In a context of increasing obstruction of NGO intervention, drastic cuts in international aid funding, and the reinforcement of European border policies in collaboration with the Libyan authorities, there are now no international NGOs providing medical care to refugees and migrants in western Libya," the organization added.

With AFP and dpa