EU EXTERNAL PARTNERS: Media investigation reveals rising deportations of Sudanese refugees; highlights criticism of muted UNHCR response ― Libya increasing repatriations of people on the move ― EU delegation holds talks with de facto leader of eastern …

• A recent media investigation has revealed a sharp rise in the deportation of Sudanese refugees from Egypt and highlighted criticism of the United Nations Refugee Agency’s perceived lack of action on it.
• The Libyan government has announced plans to step up the repatriation of people on the move in the country.
• A group of EU officials has had a meeting with the de facto leader of the eastern part of Libya six months after he expelled a high-level EU delegation.
• A suspected Libyan war criminal has been transferred to the International Criminal Court.
• Numerous opposition figures have received lengthy prison sentences following their conviction by a court in Tunisia.

A recent media investigation has revealed a sharp rise in the deportation of Sudanese refugees from Egypt. According to the investigation, which was conducted by the New Humanitarian news agency and  the NGO Refugees Platform in Egypt, 687 Sudanese nationals were detained between April and August, while 1,560 have been deported since then. The majority of those detained or deported were reportedly targeted for lacking valid residency permits, a requirement that is difficult for refugees to meet due to “massive government registration backlogs, with some appointments postponed until 2029”.

The same investigation also highlighted the criticism that the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has received for its perceived failure to challenge the Egyptian government’s deportation campaign. It notes  that lawyers and refugee rights advocates have argued that UNHCR “prioritises maintaining relations with the authorities over defending refugee rights”. UNHCR Egypt spokesperson Babar Baloch rejected the accusation, stating that the agency’s work was “guided by the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence”, and adding that it “regularly engages” with Egyptian authorities to raise concerns about refugee rights violations. Jeff Crisp, an expert on refugee issues, and a former senior UNHCR official, suggested that UNHCR Egypt was cautious about speaking out on the deportations and the new asylum law “because to do so might jeopardise its relationship with the authorities and thereby threaten its access and operations”.

The Libyan government has announced plans to step up the repatriation of people on the move in the country. Speaking alongside several foreign ambassadors at a press conference on 2 December in Tripoli,  Minister of the Interior Imad Trabelsi told journalists that the government had been implementing a “national repatriation programme” aimed at returning “thousands of migrants” each month to countries, including Chad, Mali and Somalia, since October. He also called for greater financial support from the EU, the African Union and Arab states, noting that the assistance currently provided to Libya for “protection and border management” was “very limited” compared to its “significant commitments” in the area of migration. Trabelsi also expressed concern about the potential settlement in Libya of families crossing the country en route to Europe. In response, EU Ambassador to Libya Nicola Orlando said that Europe had “no intention of settling migrants in Libya” and called for increasing “voluntary returns” of people to their countries of origin.

A group of EU officials has had a meeting with the de facto leader of the eastern part of Libya, six months after he ordered the expulsion of a high-level EU delegation. According to a post on the Facebook account of the EU naval operation in the Mediterranean (EUNAVFOR MED IRINI) on 8 December, IRINI Operation Commander Rear Admiral Marco Casapieri, EU Ambassador to Libya Nicola Orlando and the head of the EU Border Assistance Mission in Libya (EUBAM Libya), Jan Vyčítal, “reaffirmed the commitment to the EU-Libya partnership” during a meeting with Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and “LAAF leaders” in Benghazi. The Libya Observer, which identified the “[Libyan Arab Armed Forces] leaders” as Haftar’s two sons, Khaled and Saddam, reported that two sides discussed “effective mechanisms to combat smuggling and migration routes”. Human rights organisations, including ECRE member organisation Amnesty International, have accused the armed group that is led by Saddam Haftar of committing war crimes and other crimes under international law.

A suspected Libyan war criminal has been transferred to the International Criminal Court (ICC). On 1 December, German authorities transferred Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishrito the International Court of Justice in The Hague to face trial. El Hishri is suspected of “crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, torture, rape and sexual violence” committed while he was a senior official at the Mitiga prison in Tripoli. A group of civil society organisations, including Refugees in Libya, issued a joint statement, in which they welcomed the transfer. They described the development as an “important step toward justice, truth and reparation for victims of grave crimes committed across Libya”, and called on the ICC prosecutor to broaden the scope of charges and ensure the participation of victim groups. Separately, Human Rights Watch has also urged the Libyan authorities to co-operate and hand over other suspects.

Numerous opposition figures have received lengthy prison sentences following their conviction by a court in Tunisia. On 28 November, 40 people, including the prominent opposition leader Jawhar Ben Mbarek, received sentences ranging from four to 45 years on charges of “conspiracy against state security” and “belonging to a terrorist group”. Human rights organisations have condemned the trial as politically motivated and another escalation in President Kais Saied’s crackdown on dissent since he suspended parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree.

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