Migration Commissioner expelled from Libya as 'persona non grata'

The incident comes amid a new surge of departures of irregular migrants from Libya to Southern Europe.

Magnus Brunner, the European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, was on Tuesday declared "persona non grata" and asked to depart Libyan territory upon arriving at the airport of Benghazi.The order was issued by the Government of National Stability (GNS), the rival of the internationally recognised Government of National Unity (GNU). The former controls the city of Benghazi, and the latter controls Tripoli.The expulsion also applied to Matteo Piantedosi, Italy's minister of internal affairs, and a delegation of Greek and Maltese officials. They had all travelled to the country to discuss the recent surge in the departure of irregular migrants from Libya to Europe.In a press release signed by Prime Minister Osama Saad Hammad, the Government of National Stability denounced what it called "flagrant contravention of established diplomatic norms and international convention," and "actions that demonstrably disregard Libyan national sovereignty", without providing specific details."Consequently, the scheduled visit (...) was rescinded upon their arrival at Benina International Airport in the city of Benghazi," the press release says."They were duly informed of the imperative to depart Libyan territory forthwith and were declared persona non grata."It was not immediately clear what prompted the expulsion.The European Commission did not immediately reply to a request for comment.This is a developing story.