Libya’s eastern-based government on Tuesday banned entry for nationals of four African countries, a decision a government source said was due to a "reorganisation ‌of foreign nationals’ entry to Libya".

"Citizens of Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia are prohibited from entering Libyan territory through all land, sea, ​and air ports,” according to a decree by ​the parallel government in Libya’s second-largest city, Benghazi.

The Benghazi-based government of Osama Hamad is allied with military commander Khalifa Haftar, who controls the east and large areas of southern Libya.

The internationally recognised government of Abdulhamid Dbeibah, who came to power through a U.N.-backed process in 2021, is based in ​Tripoli.

An eastern-based government source told Reuters that the decision ​is aimed at "reorganising foreign nationals’ entry to Libya".

The decision exempts members of ‌accredited ⁠diplomatic and consular missions and family members from the four countries.

It also exempts workers in the education, medical, and allied health professions, provided they obtain the necessary approvals and valid work contracts from the relevant authorities.

Libya has become a transit route for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty ​to Europe across the Mediterranean since the fall ​in ⁠2011 of dictator Muammar Gaddafi to a NATO-backed uprising. Factional conflict has split the country since 2014.

The North African country ⁠is ​home to more than 900,000 migrants, ​according to U.N. data collected early this year.