Hundreds protest in Libya outside UN agency against undocumented migrants

Key points

• 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” 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.” Demonstrators 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.