By Muetaz Wannes and Rania Abu Shamala
TRIPOLI, Libya/ISTANBUL (AA) - Libya’s Internal Security Agency on Wednesday announced the closure of the offices of 10 international humanitarian organizations, accusing them of involvement in “hostile projects” aimed at resettling irregular migrants in the country.
In a statement published on its official Facebook page, the agency, which operates under the Government of National Unity, said the measures were taken in response to “an international project hostile to Libya, aimed at resettling illegal migrants in the country”
Libyan security authorities identified the organizations as the Norwegian Refugee Council, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Terre des Hommes, the International Medical Corps, the Danish Refugee Council, Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), CARE International, Intersos, ACTED and CESVI.
The statement further described “the resettlement project of irregular migrants as an attempt to alter Libya’s demographic composition by introducing socially and religiously incompatible groups.”
Libya is viewed as a departure point for irregular migrants attempting to reach Europe via illegal routes across the Mediterranean.