Sudanese Refugees in Libya Face Escalating Threats as Anti-Foreigner Sentiment Surges

Sudanese nationals who fled to Libya to escape the civil war faced a dangerous new threat environment as of June 4, 2026, according to Sudan Tribune reporting. Libyan activists organized demonstrations demanding closure of the UNHCR headquarters in Libya and a halt to resettlement operations for Sudanese refugees and asylum seekers. Apprehensions of Sudanese nationals by Libyan authorities spiked in conjunction with the protests, placing the refugee population at acute risk of detention, deportation, or trafficking. Sudan is the source of one of the world's largest refugee crises, with over 2.5 million Sudanese having fled to neighboring and regional countries since April 2023, including an estimated tens of thousands in Libya who used the North African country as a transit country or refuge of last resort. Libya's own fragile political environment — split between the internationally recognized GNU in Tripoli and Haftar's LNA in the east — has created an unstable protection environment for Sudanese refugees. The RSF has established financial and logistical relationships with Libya's Haftar forces, potentially linking Sudanese political pressures to Libya's internal refugee politics. UNHCR has repeatedly warned that displaced Sudanese in Libya face exploitation, arbitrary detention, and refoulement under worsening conditions.