June 24 12:50 PM
Libya: Forced suspension of MSF activities leaves former patients without care
Several former patients died from tuberculosis following the March suspension.
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Libya 2020 © MSF
Libya
MSF cared for thousands of migrants and refugees detained in dire conditions in Libya.
Update
MSF ordered to leave Libya within a month
October 31, 2025 — The Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has ordered Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to leave the country by November 9. The order comes after MSF was forced to suspend activities in Libya on March 27, 2025, following the closure of our premises by the Libyan Internal Security Agency and the interrogation of several employees. This wave of repression also affected nine other humanitarian organizations operating in the west of the country.
Our work in Libya
In 2024, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) provided essential health care and support to migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Libya, many of whom have been subjected to extreme violence and abuse.
What's happening in Libya?
Refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants held in detention centers in Libya face abuse and inhumane living conditions, including insufficient access to food, water, sanitation, and medical care, while those attempting the deadly Mediterranean Sea crossing face interceptions by the Libyan Coast Guard.
How we’re helping in Libya
MSF runs a range of activities in Libya for refugees, migrants and other people in vulnerable circumstances, including basic health care, tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis and treatment, sexual and reproductive health services, and emergency care. We also offer protection services, aiming to identify people with vulnerabilities, particularly unaccompanied minors, and to refer them to other organizations who can meet their specific needs.
In 2024, we regained access to a detention center near Tripoli, one of the places where migrants and refugees are arbitrarily and indefinitely held in the country and started to offer basic health care consultations and protection services once a week.
How we helped
19,800
Outpatient consultations
4,280
Individual mental health consultations
260
Patients started on treatment for tuberculosis (TB)
*Data from MSF International Activity Report 2024
More news and stories
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