A false social media claim that UNHCR had announced the resettlement of 850,000 African migrants within Libya’s population triggered protests and reported violence against migrants, according to a BBC analysis. The claim was posted from an Egyptian X account on June 3 and spread across Libya, Egypt and Tunisia. UNHCR formally rejected it as entirely false, but its response reached relatively few people. Within a day, protesters gathered outside UNHCR’s headquarters in Tripoli, with some entering the compound, erecting tents and building sand piles at the gate.

The BBC said the narrative reached at least one million users and was amplified by an apparently artificial account network. On Facebook, 34 of 40 identified accounts were created between May 2 and 7, and collectively reached 1.46 million followers. Meta said it had deployed a team to monitor Libya around the clock and removed 11 accounts after BBC contact.

Libya had more than 930,000 migrants in early 2026, alongside more than 112,000 refugees and asylum seekers. Migrants and asylum seekers reported increased attacks and harassment after the incident. Authorities in eastern and western Libya announced raids involving arrests, detention and deportation, while both administrations rejected the idea of permanently settling migrants in the country.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met eastern Libyan leader Khalifa Haftar in Benghazi amid Libya’s long-running political division and conflict. The meeting, reported on August 14, was portrayed as a new diplomatic initiative by Ankara to broaden relations with both sides of Libya’s divide.

Turkey’s ties with eastern authorities were tense in the past. When Haftar’s forces attempted to seize the capital, Tripoli, in 2019-20, Turkey provided military support to the Tripoli-based government. Ankara has recently increased contact and cooperation with eastern forces. Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin also met in Benghazi with Saddam Haftar, Haftar’s son and deputy commander of the Libyan National Army.

Those discussions addressed efforts to bring eastern and western administrations and military forces under a single structure, as well as expanding cooperation between the two countries. Fidan also met Saddam Haftar in Ankara on July 24, though no official details were released. Observers say Turkey is seeking stronger ties with the Haftar camp while pursuing political settlement, security cooperation and strategic and economic interests in the Mediterranean.

A report says US President Donald Trump is pursuing an initiative to establish US business control over Libya’s oil resources through agreements among the country’s eastern and western power centers. On June 18, Libya’s three main political groups reached a power-sharing deal that outlines presidential and parliamentary elections before February 17, 2027. Massad Boulos, Trump’s senior adviser for Arab and African affairs and Tiffany Trump’s father-in-law, is described as playing a central role in the process.

The agreement is based on a unified state budget of $30 billion adopted in April. The report says a plan to double Libya’s daily oil output to three million barrels by 2030 could benefit US energy companies including ConocoPhillips and Chevron, which have already signed oil-related agreements. It adds that unifying and insulating the National Oil Corporation from factional interference could raise output above 1.5 million barrels a day and increase state revenue by 20 to 30 percent.

Civil society, tribal groups, militias, women and young people were not represented at the Rome meeting that preceded the deal, prompting doubts about its success. Critics say the arrangement is centered on powerful individuals and families rather than institutions. Russia views the initiative as bypassing the Berlin process, while Algeria and Tunisia stress Libyan ownership and leadership of any settlement.

A boat carrying about 60 migrants sank off the coast of Libya near the island of Barda, close to Tobruk, on Tuesday. According to Libyan authorities, 50 people remain missing while 10 managed to swim to the island. The Libyan Coast Guard has launched a rescue operation that is still underway. Women and children were reportedly among those on board.

Such incidents are frequent along Libya’s coast, a major departure point for migrants from Africa and the Middle East attempting to reach Europe in search of a better life. Last month, another boat capsized near eastern Libya, leaving 51 migrants dead or missing. The region has become a hub for irregular migration and human trafficking.

The International Organization for Migration reported that between January 1 and May 16 this year, more than 800 migrants went missing off Libya’s coast. Most were from impoverished countries in South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa, all seeking to reach Europe.

Pakistan has begun a quiet mediation effort between Libya’s rival eastern and western power centers, according to two Pakistani sources cited by Reuters. The initiative, which started late last year, aims to bridge divisions that have persisted since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi. The United States is reportedly aware of and involved in the process, while Saudi Arabia is providing support. Both Libyan sides are said to have requested Pakistan’s involvement.

The mediation follows Pakistan’s earlier roles in separate U.S.-Iran negotiations this year, which drew praise from Washington. Analysts note that any plan to reunify Libya must balance competing foreign interests and resolve disputes over government positions, election rules, and oil revenues. A proposed 36‑month transitional power-sharing arrangement under a “Government of National Consensus and Presidential Council” is under discussion, with Abdulhamid Dbeibah and Saddam Haftar expected to hold key roles.

Pakistan’s army chief recently met Saddam Haftar in Rawalpindi, followed by Haftar’s visit to Washington. Observers describe Pakistan as a secondary actor in Libya, though it maintains ties with both factions and regional players such as Qatar, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia.

Three Italian human rights activists detained in Libya while participating in a land convoy delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza have been released, according to Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. The freed individuals were identified as Domenico Centrone, Leonarda Alberizia, and Matias Alvarez Rodriguez, the latter also holding Uruguayan citizenship. Tajani said they were held for about a month and are now under the custody of the Italian consul in Benghazi, with plans to return to Italy the same day.

The activists were members of the Global Sumud Land Convoy, which began its journey from Mauritania to deliver aid to Gaza. At the same time, a related maritime mission, the Global Sumud Flotilla, faced obstruction by Israeli forces in international waters. According to the convoy organizers, ten members from eight countries were detained near the Libyan city of Sirte, including four men and six women.

No details were released regarding the charges or reasons for their detention, leaving the circumstances of the arrests unclear.

At least 15 bodies of migrants, including women, were recovered over the past week along Libya’s eastern Mediterranean coast. Security, naval, and medical sources confirmed the information to Reuters on Saturday, saying the victims likely drowned after a boat sank. A naval source reported that about 10 people were rescued alive, and survivors said around 61 people had been on board. The bodies were found near the coastal areas of Tobruk, close to the Egyptian border, with some already decomposed. Officials warned that more bodies might still be in the area.

Photos posted on the Tobruk Red Crescent’s Facebook page showed volunteers in white protective suits collecting bodies from rocky shores and placing them in white bags. Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s government in 2011, Libya’s coast has become a major route for migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. Many people fleeing conflict and poverty risk the dangerous sea journey, while others come to Libya seeking limited job opportunities in its oil-based economy.

In a separate incident, Libya’s Emergency Medicine and Support Center in Tripoli reported rescuing 13 migrants alive after another boat accident, providing them with necessary medical care.

Seventeen bodies were recovered and seven people rescued from a drifting boat off the coast of Libya, the Libyan Red Crescent reported on Wednesday. The rescue operation was carried out by a patrol vessel that responded to a distress call near the North African country’s shoreline. The incident was confirmed by AFP from Tripoli.

According to the Red Crescent, the operation was one of the most difficult field missions conducted so far. Photos posted on the organization’s Facebook page showed rescuers unloading black body bags from a boat. The nationalities of the deceased and survivors were not disclosed. The Red Crescent said it was working with the UN refugee agency to provide humanitarian assistance to the survivors, suggesting they were migrants attempting to reach Europe.

The rescue involved members of the Red Crescent, the navy, the coast guard, and coastal security units. The operation lasted more than eight hours under challenging conditions, following eight days during which the stranded boat had been in distress.

At least 70 people are missing after a boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of Libya in the Mediterranean Sea. The vessel, which departed from Libya’s Tajoura port on April 3 for Europe, capsized early on April 4 within Libyan waters. A commercial ship rescued 32 survivors, including citizens of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Egypt, and transported them to Italy’s Lampedusa island. Two bodies were also recovered during the operation.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the boat carried over 100 passengers, including a child. Survivors reported rough seas and high waves that caused the boat to take on water before overturning. The German group Sea-Watch said it spotted the distressed vessel from the air and saw several people floating near the wreck.

UNHCR spokesperson Filippo Ungaro said the boat was unfit for such a journey, and further investigation is needed to confirm the number of missing. IOM estimates up to 120 people may have been aboard, making it one of the deadliest recent migrant shipwrecks in the region.

At least 70 migrants went missing after a wooden boat sank off the coast of Libya on Saturday, according to initial reports from the Italian Coast Guard. Thirty-two people were rescued and two bodies recovered, with survivors including citizens of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Egypt. The boat had departed from Libya’s Tajoura port late Friday night carrying between 100 and 120 people, as confirmed by representatives of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Survivors reported that rough sea conditions caused waves to flood the vessel, which then capsized within Libyan waters. The monitoring group Sea-Watch said its aircraft spotted at least 15 people clinging to the overturned boat, surrounded by bodies. Rescue operations were launched under Libyan supervision by an Italian cargo ship and a Liberian commercial vessel, and survivors were taken to Lampedusa, a key entry point for migrants from North Africa to Europe.

Humanitarian group Mediterranea Saving Humans criticized European migration policies, calling the tragedy a result of those policies rather than an accident. IOM data show more than 33,450 deaths in the Mediterranean since 2014, with at least 725 people missing in the central Mediterranean so far this year.

At least 70 migrants are missing after a wooden boat sank in the Mediterranean Sea on Saturday afternoon within Libya’s search and rescue zone. The Italian NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans reported the incident on Sunday, stating that the vessel had departed from the Libyan coastal city of Tajoura carrying 105 people, including men, women, and children. The boat went down about 14 nautical miles northeast of Libya’s Bouri oil field. Thirty-four people were rescued alive, and two bodies were recovered. The survivors and the bodies were taken to Italy’s southern island of Lampedusa.

Mediterranea Saving Humans expressed sorrow over the missing persons and urged European countries to adopt safer migration policies. Meanwhile, Italy’s ANSA news agency, citing survivors, reported that the boat may have carried as many as 180 migrants and that around 80 people drowned before coast guard patrols arrived.

The differing accounts highlight uncertainty over the total number of passengers and missing persons, while rescue operations and identification efforts continue.

Libya’s Ramadan festivities, marked by fireworks and family gatherings, have been dampened by soaring inflation, currency devaluation, and deep political divisions. Fifteen years after the fall of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi, the country remains split between eastern and western administrations. Despite vast oil and gas reserves, shortages of fuel and essential goods have disrupted daily life, with supermarkets rationing products and ATMs running out of cash in Tripoli.

Residents report worsening economic conditions, blaming currency traders for the dinar’s sharp decline. Prices of cooking oil have doubled, while meat and poultry costs have risen by about 50 percent. Gas cylinders, officially priced at 1.5 dinars, are selling for up to 75 dinars on the black market. The western central bank recently devalued the dinar by 15 percent for the second time in less than a year, a move Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah admitted has increased public hardship.

UN envoy Hanna Tetteh warned that rising poverty and social pressure could combine with fragile security to create new political and security challenges. Analysts say the lack of a unified budget and reduced oil revenues continue to strain Libya’s divided economy.

At least 53 migrants, including two children, died when a rubber boat capsized off the coast of Libya, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The incident occurred after the vessel, carrying 55 people, began taking on water about six hours after departing from the coastal city of Al-Zawiya. Only two Nigerian women survived and were rescued by Libyan authorities on Friday.

The IOM reported that the boat carried migrants and refugees from various African countries. One survivor lost her husband, while the other lost her two children. Both received emergency medical assistance. The organization added that nearly 500 migrants have died or gone missing this year while attempting to cross the Mediterranean from Libya.

Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has become a major departure point for migrants from sub-Saharan Africa seeking to reach Europe. The IOM also noted that at least 375 migrants died or went missing in the central Mediterranean in January alone, with the actual number likely higher.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of Libya’s former leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been shot dead in the western Libyan city of Zintan. The incident was confirmed on Tuesday night by Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera, citing its Arabic service correspondent Ahmed Khalifa. The 53-year-old was reportedly living in Zintan for the past decade. His political adviser Abdullah Othman confirmed his death, though details about the attackers and circumstances remain unknown. Libyan authorities have yet to comment on the incident.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi never held an official government position but was considered the second most influential figure in Libya between 2000 and 2011, after his father. Muammar Gaddafi was killed in 2011, ending his decades-long rule. Saif was imprisoned in Zintan that same year and released in 2017.

The lack of official statements leaves questions about the motive and perpetrators of the killing, as Libya continues to face political instability and fragmented authority.

A private jet carrying Libya’s Chief of General Staff, Mohammed al-Haddad, crashed in Turkish airspace after reporting an electrical malfunction, Turkish officials confirmed. The aircraft had requested emergency landing clearance before losing contact and going down. All eight people on board, including al-Haddad, four Libyan military officials, and three crew members, were killed.

Turkish Presidency Communications Director Fahrettin Altun stated that pilots had notified air traffic control of the issue moments before the crash. Libya’s Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah confirmed al-Haddad’s death, calling it a tragic loss for the nation and its armed forces. Among the victims were senior military figures such as General al-Fitouri Gharibiel and Brigadier General Mahmoud al-Katawi.

The Libyan delegation had been traveling to Ankara for high-level defense talks aimed at strengthening bilateral military cooperation. Turkish authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the accident, with preliminary findings pointing to a possible electrical systems failure.