The decision by Libya's Internal Security Agency to close the offices of several international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has sparked widespread international criticism, particularly from 17 ambassadors, most of whom are from European Union countries.
The ambassadors expressed deep concern over what they described as an "ongoing campaign of repression" targeting humanitarian work inside the country.
According to Agence France-Presse, the ambassadors sent a letter to Libya's Internal Security Agency, stressing that these measures seriously hinder the provision of essential health and humanitarian aid to Libyans. They warned that more organizations may suspend their activities or leave the country entirely due to what they considered security harassment and increasing restrictions on their work.
The letter calls for the reopening of closed organizations' offices and the resumption of humanitarian operations in a safe environment, as well as ensuring the safety of all humanitarian workers and the return of passports confiscated from some organization employees.
In contrast, the Internal Security Service announced that the decision to close the offices of some organizations came after detecting suspicious activities that undermine national sovereignty and exploit the country's deteriorating security situation.
In a previous press conference, the agency confirmed that its investigations revealed the involvement of some organizations in promoting "atheist ideology" under the guise of human rights and individual freedoms, in addition to other organizations' involvement in illegal immigration and money laundering through relief channels.
The agency noted that the Italian organization "Terre des Hommes" was among those involved in migrant resettlement projects, while the French organization "Doctors Without Borders" was accused of training Libyan doctors in safe abortion, in clear violation of Islamic law and without the knowledge of official health authorities.
The closure decision also included other organizations such as the International Medical Corps, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), Child Italia, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), and Terre des Hommes.
The security service confirmed that some employees of these organizations were investigated, while others were asked to leave their jobs and sign pledges not to return to any activities within international organizations in Libya.
According to Agence France-Presse, the diplomatic letter revealed that at least 18 employees from six international organizations were interrogated by the Internal Security Service between March 13 and 27, 2025. Some had their passports confiscated, while others were prevented from returning to their jobs.
Some foreign staff were also asked to leave Libya, while others outside the country were prevented from returning. This followed the suspension of entry visas for foreign humanitarian workers from July 2022 until the end of 2023, forcing organizations to rely on local or foreign staff who do not require visas.
In southern Libya, civil society organizations in Fezzan called for the suspension of the activities of the Italian organization Ara Pacchi and an investigation into the nature of its work.
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) warned of the rise in "hate speech" and misinformation against migrants and humanitarian organizations, calling for respect for humanitarian work and for it not to be politicized or demonized.
Libya has been experiencing political division and insecurity for years, making it a dangerous environment for humanitarian work.
Despite numerous international initiatives to improve the situation, some parties still consider the presence of foreign organizations a direct threat to the country's sovereignty, accusing them of going beyond their humanitarian mission to activities that undermine national security and religious and social values.