Libya's eastern-based government has banned the entry of Iranian and Afghan nationals through all land, sea and air ports, the government said late on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, according to Reuters. The statement, posted on the government's verified Facebook page, said: "The nationals of both Iran and Afghanistan are prohibited from entering Libyan territory through all land, air, and sea ports of entry." The government's interior ministry will be responsible for implementing the decision and for deporting Iranian and Afghan nationals who do not hold valid residence permits. The government did not give a reason for the decision.

An extension of earlier restrictions

The move extends entry restrictions the eastern administration imposed on nationals of four African countries in June, in a country split between rival governments in the east and west since 2014. In June, the Benghazi-based government of Osama Hamad banned nationals of Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia, citing a reorganisation of foreign nationals' entry to Libya. Hamad's government is allied to military commander Khalifa Haftar, who controls the east and large areas of southern Libya, while the internationally recognised government of Abdulhamid Dbeibah is based in Tripoli.

Who is exempt, and the wider context

Members of accredited diplomatic and consular missions and their family members are exempt from the ban, the statement said, as are people working in medical and educational professions, provided they have obtained work authorisations. Libya has been a transit route for migrants to Europe since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, and is home to more than 900,000 migrants, according to UN data collected in June cited by Reuters. The announcement does not state whether the Tripoli-based government has taken any similar step, and no reason or end date for the ban was given.

Sources: Reuters.