EU has long engaged with Libya’s Haftar on ‘technical’ migration matters, sources tell Euronews

The European Commission has consistently engaged with leaders from eastbound Libya, including the subject led by Khalifa Haftar, astatine a "technical level" to sermon migration management, an EU authoritative told Euronews.

The Commission and the European borderline and seashore defender bureau Frontex are hosting a Libyan delegation connected migration for 2 “technical visits” this week, the instauration confirmed during a Friday property conference. Meetings volition hap successful Brussels and astatine Frontex office successful Warsaw.

The speech volition bring “all sides” of Libya and EU civilian servants unneurotic successful the aforesaid room. It confirmed the beingness of the authorities of eastbound Libya and its subject arm, some of which are not internationally recognised. However, an EU authoritative described sitting successful the aforesaid country with the unrecognised authorities and its operational service arsenic thing new.

“We person had respective method level meetings successful Brussels and Libya implicit the past years,” the authoritative said.

Technical discussions are described arsenic specified due to the fact that nary governmental figures are involved, but lone EU civilian servants.

Discussion volition beryllium about, among others, “limiting [irregular] departures and flows done Libya successful enactment with quality rights standards,” a 2nd EU authoritative said.

The meetings travel soon aft Libyan authorities announced plans to organise migrants' voluntary returns, from centres nether their power to the countries of root of migrant people.

Libya remains a cardinal state for Brussels regarding migratory flows. According to the latest Frontex data, the eastbound Libya–Crete corridor saw a surge successful September, with detections expanding by 280% compared to 2024. Overall departures from Libya roseate by 50% compared to the erstwhile year.

‘Friends of Putin’

Since the extremity of Muammar Gaddafi's regularisation successful 2011, the state has been politically fragmented, with contending powers engaged successful a civilian warfare and thousands of militias dispersed crossed the North African nation.

Over the years, Khalifa Haftar and his son, Saddam, person been strengthening governmental and subject ties with Russia, culminating successful Khalifa Haftar's authoritative sojourn to Moscow successful May this year.

Russia has established its subject beingness successful cardinal parts of Libya, including the Al-Khadim airbase adjacent Benghazi and the larboard of Tobruk, a predominant hub for migrant departures and the metropolis wherever the main basal for the eastbound authorities and its service is located.

In this portion of the country, the oversea brigade called Tariq Bin Ziyad, led by Saddam Haftar, is besides operating and has already intercepted migrant boats successful planetary waters, successful coordination with European authorities.

Haftar has besides maintained bully relations with Egypt and the UAE and has beardown connections to Washington, having spent decades successful exile from the Gaddafi authorities successful the US.

This is the archetypal clip that eastbound Libyan officials are travelling to Warsaw, the office of Frontex.

“There is simply a batch of unit from Brussels to prosecute with Libya close now. Frontex volition bash so, but ever with 1 connection beforehand and centre: immoderate practice indispensable respect quality rights and the regularisation of law,” 2 Frontex officials confirmed to Euronews.

Unlike the European Commission, this for Frontex was the “first gathering with immoderate Libyan officials successful years,” and it is apt the archetypal clip it had interaction with the eastbound portion of the country, 1 of the 2 Frontex officials said.

“I americium not alert of immoderate erstwhile contacts,” the root confirmed.

“The method sojourn volition springiness the Libyan delegation a accidental to familiarise themselves with Fontex’s enactment and its relation successful supporting EU countries astatine the outer borders,” the Frontex authoritative explains.

No longer a taboo

The EU has a agelong contented of practice with Libyan authorities connected migration issues, dating backmost to 2013, erstwhile the Border Assistance Mission successful Libya (EUBAM) was launched.

But truthful far, this practice has entailed a concern with the authorities of Tripoli.

However, successful a missive dated June 2025 to the EU 27 leaders, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen explicitly stated that it is indispensable to enactment “with authorities successful the West and East of the country” to fortify borderline absorption and combat migrant smuggling.

Since then, the Commission has initiated diplomatic activity, supported by immoderate EU countries, with the authorities successful the East.

But the opening of this caller epoch of engagement presented a stumbling start.

In July, a visit to Benghazi by Commissioner for Migration Magnus Brunner with ministers of Italy, Greece and Malta ended up successful a diplomatic incident, arsenic Brunner and the European representatives were expelled.

According to an unnamed authoritative who shared accusation with Euronews astatine the time, the European delegation refused to airs for a photograph with the eastbound Libyan authorities up of a gathering with Haftar's military.

In response, authorities representatives fired back, declaring the Commissioner and the curate “persona non grata” and calling connected them to permission the country.

Despite EU officials mentioning the respect of quality rights arsenic portion of the attack successful the migration management, UN agencies, civilian nine organisations and journalists person been perpetually reporting systematic abuses, tortures and detention of migrants successful each parts of Libya and successful planetary waters, with incidents involving besides rescuers and fishermen.

In July, Amnesty International described the wide EU-Libya engagement arsenic "morally bankrupt".

“The EU’s morally bankrupt migration practice with Libyan authorities amounts to complicity successful horrific quality rights violations. Attempts to halt departures astatine immoderate outgo amusement a implicit disregard for the lives and dignity of migrants and refugees," the organisation said.