Libya's eastern government bans entry for nationals of four countries

Libya’s eastern-based government has blocked the entry of people from four African countries in a bid to stem in the influx of migrants transiting to Europe.

The ban, announced late on Tuesday, prohibits citizens of Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia from entering through all land, sea, and air ports.

Officials of Osama Hamad’s Benghazi-based government said an exemption would be made for diplomats and workers in the health and education sectors.

It is allied to military ​commander Khalifa Haftar, who controls the east and large parts ​of southern Libya.

The announcement came as more ‌bodies of migrants washed ashore off a city in eastern Libya in recent days after their boat ​capsized last week.

According to the United Nations, there are more than 900,000 migrants and refugees in Libya, with people from Sudan making up the largest group.

Many of them are trying to reach Europe but boats are regularly intercepted in the Mediterranean and sent back to Libya.

UN investigators say they end up being held in government-run detention centres which are known for abuses – including forced labour, beatings, rapes, and torture.

Libya plunged into chaos after the NATO-backed toppling of its autocratic leader Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

The country is now run by two governments, an internationally recognised one based in Tripoli in the west, and the other in the east.