Libya (Somali diaspora)

How many Somalis are in Libya?

Nobody has a firm count, and the main sources differ widely. Each measures something different:

• IOM, April 2025: more than 1,400 Somali migrants were stranded in Libya, according to IOM's Displacement Tracking Matrix (Dawan, November 2025, citing IOM). An EU release cited more than 1,500 in July 2024 (EU Delegation to Somalia, citing IOM DTM).
• UNHCR, end of 2025: 778 asylum seekers from Somalia were registered, and no recognised refugees (UNHCR Refugee Data Finder API, Libya, 1990 to 2025).
• UN DESA, 2024: 117,956 people born in Somalia lived in Libya, the fifth-largest figure in its table (UN DESA, International Migrant Stock 2024).

The UN DESA figure is a model estimate, not a headcount. The IOM and UNHCR numbers count only people they have reached or registered. For how these counts work, see Somali refugees by the numbers.

All migrants together are many more. IOM identified 928,839 migrants of all nationalities in Libya from August to October 2025, mostly from Sudan, Egypt, Niger and Chad (Libya Herald, January 2026, citing IOM DTM Round 59).

How long have Somalis been in Libya?

Somalis have been in Libya since the early years of the war. UNHCR counted 804 Somali refugees there in 1993 and 3,350 in 1996 (UNHCR API). The number stayed near 2,900 until 2005, then fell to 488 in 2006 (UNHCR API).

Even then, many did not stay. A 2006 study found Somalis who had lived in Libya reporting little UNHCR protection, abuse by employers and public racism (Swiss Forum for Migration Studies, 2006). Many moved on to Egypt in search of protection and resettlement (SFM, 2006).

Why do Somalis go through Libya?

Libya is the main launch point for the Central Mediterranean crossing to Italy. From January to August 2025, IOM recorded 5,435 Somalis reaching Europe, three times as many as a year earlier (Kaab TV, 28 October 2025, citing IOM DTM). Most went to Italy, leaving mainly from Libya and Tunisia (Kaab TV, citing IOM DTM).

By 7 September 2026, Somalis were the second-largest group landing in Italy, with 2,457 arrivals (UIL, citing Italy's Interior Ministry, 7 September 2026). For the full route, see Migration routes and Italy (Somali diaspora).

What protection exists in Libya?

Very little. Libya is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and has no national law on refugee protection (UNHCR, Libya Annual Results Report 2024). It is a party to the 1969 African refugee convention (UNHCR, 2024).

UNHCR can register people from only nine nationalities in Libya, and Somalis are one of them (UNHCR, Libya country page). In 2025 it worked without a formal agreement with Libya, so registered refugees had no formal protection from arbitrary detention (UNHCR, Libya Annual Results Report 2025).

For what refugee papers mean in each country, see Refugee papers and status.

What happens to Somalis held in Libya?

Many Somalis have been held by smuggling and trafficking groups. In 2018, Somalis flown home from Libya described the town of Kufra as a place where smugglers held people for years (VOA, 2018). That year more than 100 East African migrants escaped a camp at Bani Walid, where MSF said kidnapping for ransom was a thriving business (Garowe Online, 2018).

Human Rights Watch recorded a Somali refugee's account of forced labour and confinement after being held near Bani Walid (HRW, 21 December 2019). In October 2024 a Somali activist reported that at least three Somali migrants had died in traffickers' sites in Libya since September (AllAfrica, 23 October 2024). No court has yet ruled on these deaths.

Who brings Somalis home from Libya?

Somalia's government and IOM run return flights. About 557 Somali migrants had been helped to return from Libya in 2025 by late November (Dawan, citing IOM, November 2025).

Somalia's own records show 410 migrants returning from Libya between 2020 and 2023, the third-largest number after Saudi Arabia and Yemen (Somalia National Bureau of Statistics, Migration Statistics Report 2024). Another 188 returned as refugees in the same years, 102 of them in 2022 (Somalia NBS, 2024).

The returnee data come from the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Migration, Returns and Children's Rights (Somalia NBS, 2024).

Can Somalis leave Libya safely another way?

A few can. Since September 2019, Rwanda, UNHCR and the African Union have run an Emergency Transit Mechanism for refugees evacuated from Libya (KT Press, September 2026). More than 3,000 people had been flown to Rwanda by September 2026 (KT Press, 2026).

The evacuees are mainly Eritrean, Somali, Sudanese, Ethiopian and South Sudanese (Monitor).

What do Somalis in Libya face now?

• No legal status: without a refugee law, most Somalis in Libya are treated as irregular migrants (UNHCR, 2024).
• Detention: IOM has reported about 5,000 migrants of all nationalities in official detention centres (AllAfrica, 2024).
• The sea: deaths and missing persons in the Mediterranean rose in 2026, even as crossings to Italy fell (UIL, 2026).

How are Somalis in Libya tied to home?

Families at home are drawn in too. In 2024, families of Somali migrants held in Libya were contacted by kidnapping groups based in Bani Walid (AllAfrica, 2024). For why young people take this road, see Why and how Somalis left and Life after leaving.

Related pages

• Somali diaspora hub
• Migration routes
• Italy (Somali diaspora)
• Egypt (Somali diaspora)
• Yemen (Somali diaspora)
• Refugee camps

Sources

1. Dawan Africa. "Over 100 Somali migrants repatriated from Libya," citing IOM. November 2025. dawan.africa. Checked 2026-11-12.
2. EU Delegation to Somalia. "Over 160 Somali migrants assisted to return home from Libya," citing IOM DTM. 2024. eeas.europa.eu. Checked 2026-11-12.
3. UNHCR. Refugee Data Finder API, Somalia to Libya, 1990 to 2025. api.unhcr.org. Checked 2026-11-12.
4. UN DESA Population Division. "International Migrant Stock 2024." 2025. un.org. Checked 2026-11-12.
5. Libya Herald. "IOM reports 928,839 migrants identified across Libya in 2025." January 2026. libyaherald.com. Checked 2026-11-12.
6. Moret, J., Baglioni, S. and Efionayi-Mäder, D. "The Path of Somali Refugees into Exile." SFM Studies 46, 2006. unine.ch. Checked 2026-11-12.
7. Kaab TV. "Sharp Rise in Somali Migration to Europe, DTM Report Reveals." 28 October 2025. en.kaabtv.com. Checked 2026-11-12.
8. UIL. "Sbarchi di migranti: il calo è europeo," citing the Interior Ministry dashboard. 7 September 2026. uil.it. Checked 2026-11-12.
9. UNHCR. "Libya Annual Results Report 2024." 2025. unhcr.org. Checked 2026-11-12.
10. UNHCR. "Libya" country page, Operational Data Portal. data.unhcr.org. Checked 2026-11-12.
11. UNHCR. "Libya Annual Results Report 2025." 2026. unhcr.org. Checked 2026-11-12.
12. VOA. "Somali migrants returning from Libya tell of abuse, horror." 2018. voanews.com. Checked 2026-11-12.
13. Garowe Online. "Somali migrants escape from Libya trafficking camp." 2018. garoweonline.com. Checked 2026-11-12.
14. Human Rights Watch. "Lost in Libya: A Refugee's Story of Captivity and Escape." 21 December 2019. hrw.org. Checked 2026-11-12.
15. AllAfrica. "Three Somali Migrants Tortured to Death By Human Traffickers in Libya, Activist Reveals." 23 October 2024. allafrica.com. Checked 2026-11-12.
16. Somalia National Bureau of Statistics. "Migration Statistics Report," first edition. 2024. nbs.gov.so. Checked 2026-11-12.
17. KT Press. "Rwanda has received more than 3,000 asylum seekers evacuated from Libya since 2019." September 2026. ktpress.rw. Checked 2026-11-12.
18. Daily Monitor. "Rwanda, African Union and UNHCR to help Libyan asylum seekers." monitor.co.ug. Checked 2026-11-12.