Illegal immigration in Libya
History
History
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After gaining independence in 1951, Libya was a mostly impoverished country. After the discovery of hydrocarbons, the petroleum industry came to dominate the national economy. Need for manpower brought migrants, mostly [Egyptians](/wiki/Egyptians "Egyptians"), to Libya. However, in the 1990s, sub\-saharan Africans began migrating to Libya in larger numbers. Sanctions and economic hardships decreased the attractiveness of Libya as a destination country, instead being used as a transit country to reach [Europe](/wiki/Europe "Europe").

Due to turbulent conditions, the government of Libya would often deport migrants from countries that had poor diplomatic relations with the Libyan government. Tunisians in particular were expelled 8 times between 1966 and 1985\.Hamood, S. (2006\). *African transit migration through Libya to Europe: the human cost*. Cairo: American University in Cairo, Forced Migration and Refugee Studies.


What is the relationship between Libya and Egypt like?