Libya's eastern-based putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar-led administration ordered an EU commissioner and ministers from three member states to leave immediately on Tuesday after they arrived in Benghazi for scheduled talks.
Accusing the bloc's delegation of a "flagrant breach of diplomatic norms," the authorities said they had canceled its visit and told it to "leave Libyan territory immediately."
The EU executive arm, the European Commission, did not immediately respond to AFP requests for comment.
The delegation had flown in from the Libyan capital, Tripoli, where it held talks with the U.N.-backed Government of National Unity of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.
Led by the EU commissioner for internal affairs and migration, Magnus Brunner, the delegation also included the interior ministers of Italy and Malta, Matteo Piantedosi and Byron Camilleri, and Greek Migration Minister Thanos Plevris.
Straight after their arrival in Benghazi, the head of the eastern administration, Osama Hammad, declared all four men persona non grata.
He called on all diplomats and representatives of non-governmental organizations to "respect the sovereignty of the Libyan state," without elaborating.
Since the fall of Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, Libya has been plagued by conflicts between armed factions and remains deeply divided. An internationally recognized government operates in Tripoli in the west, while illegitimate forces led by putchist Gen. Khalifa Haftar control the country's east.
