Russia, Turkey keep supporting own Libyan ally as more with fighters, equipment pour in through unceasing airbridge.
Dec-17, NOC-controlled Brega Petroleum Marketing Company HQ attacked by GNA-sponsored militias amidst rising tensions in Tripoli.
Italy PM, FM meet Khalifa Haftar as 18 Italian fishermen released.
UNSC appoint Bulgarian Mladenov new Special Envoy to Libya, Zimbabwean Zenenga UNSMIL Assistant Secretary-General & Mission Coordinator
AL-ZAWIYA
- on December 16, the Libyan Red Crescent’s rescue teams recovered bodies of four children after a boat carrying 30 illegal immigrants capsized off the Libyan coast. The Red Crescent said the children were Egyptian and their bodies washed up off Harsha and Matrad shores near Al-Zawiya.
BENGHAZI – AL-MARJ – SIRTE
- on December 18, the media center of the Volcano of Range Operation disclosed it had monitored 12 Sham Wings Airlines flights carrying mercenaries from Syria to areas controlled by Khalifa Haftar since last October. The trips had been monitored since last October, the same month the UN-sponsored ceasefire agreement was signed by both Haftar and the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Geneva.
SIRTE
- on December 18, locals shot dead a Sudanese Janjaweed mercenary as he attempted to rob a number of houses. After the shooting, pro-Haftar military police encircled the area. Despite the UN-brokered ceasefire provides for all foreign fighters to leave Libya, Haftar’s reinforcements from the Russian Wagner group, the Sudanese Janjaweed and other mercenaries are still present in Sirte and Jufra;
- on December 16, a military cargo plane landed at the Al-Qardabiya Base in the Haftar-controlled city of Sirte, GNA Brig. Gen. Abdelhadi Drah confirmed, noting that this is the second time the same plane had landed at the base in a week;
- another “Airbus-A320” cargo plane reportedly landed at the Benina Airport in Benghazi from Syria, carrying “Syrian mercenaries to support Haftar’s militia”, according to previous statements by Drah himself.
TOBRUK
- on December 17, at least four people were killed and 20 others wounded as clashes broke out in Tobruk. Local sources said that confrontations broke out between two families from different tribes, on the backdrop of a decision to appoint a member from one tribe as director of the social security fund, replacing the current official, who instead belongs to the other tribe;
TRIPOLI
- on December 20, the GNA Defence Minister reportedly hired Muhammad Ibrahim Suleiman Balam, who had previously fought for and pledged allegiance to IS in Benghazi against Haftar’s forces. Prior to his new assignment, he was accused of human smuggling and trafficking, though the accusations have not yet been proven in court;
- on December 17, the NOC condemned the attack carried out by a government-sponsored armed group on the premises of its controlled company, Brega Petroleum Marketing Company. The NOC warned that security measured had been strengthened and it will take legal actions against such provocations, which heavily impact Libya’s vital oil sector.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- on December 18, Italian Deputy Foreign Minister, Marina Sereni stressed that the Italian government remains committed to achieving stability in Libya. Regarding the release of 18 Italian fishermen previously held in Benghazi by the forces of Khalifa Haftar, Sereni called their release a ‘significant achievement’. She went on to note that the Italian intelligence agency, along with many diplomats, had taken all possible steps to ensure the safe release of the fishermen;
- on December 18, the UNSMIL condemned the threats made by armed groups against Libya’s state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC). “The NOC is and must remain a unified, independent, and apolitical institution that works for the benefit of all Libyans,” the UN Mission said in a statement;
- on December 17, the UNSMIL welcomed the release of Italian fishermen, whom had been held in Libya for more than 100 days. “UNSMIL is pleased by the release today of the 18 fishermen who spent 107 days in captivity in Benghazi,” the UN Mission stated in a tweet, adding that it “congratulates the Italian government and their families on their release”;
- on December 17, Italy’s Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte and Foreign Minister, Luigi Di Maio arrived in Benghazi, eastern Libya, coinciding with the release of 18 Italian fishermen who had been detained by Khalifa Haftar’s forces for over three months. The media office of the General Command said the meeting between the Italian officials and Haftar went over the latest developments of political, military and economic dialogues. Haftar, according to his forces’ media office, hailed the Italian role in resolving the crisis in the country, but didn’t discuss the fishermen issue, which was later announced by the Italian government;
- on December 17, Stephanie Williams held a meeting online with the participants of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) and discussed moving forward with the implementation of the agreed solution roadmap. UNSMIL said the meeting discussed the mechanism of selecting a mew executive authority, preparations for elections to be held on time, and formation of a legal committee of LPDF participants to work on all necessary conditions to facilitate holding elections next year;
- on December 16, the UNSMIL congratulated the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Libya for its decision to unify the exchange rate following a “long-awaited” meeting on the matter;
- according to Italian news Agency Nova, GNA PM Fayez al-Sarraj arrived in Rome on December 16 on what looks like a private unofficial visit. The news agency reported that Al-Sarraj arrived in Italy with his wife and a personal assistant, noting that no official meetings had been scheduled and that the duration of his visit is unknown. The Government of National accords’ media office has yet to comment on the visit or its purpose;
- on December 16, UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointment of Raisedon Zenenga of Zimbabwe as Assistant Secretary-General and Mission Coordinator of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). This position is established pursuant to Security Council resolution 2542 (2020);
- on December 15, the UN Security Council approved a proposal by António Guterres to appoint Bulgarian Nickolay Mladenov as the UN special envoy to Libya, replacing Ghassan Salamé, who stepped down last March;
- On Malta’s Republic Day, December 15, Maltese president George Vella expressed his government’s hope that a new executive authority in Libya would prioritize the fight against illegal immigration to Europe. The president also expressed his support for the positive developments in Libya in terms of political dialogue, ceasefire, and resumption of oil production;
- on December 15, US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo said the goal of the United States is to continue persuading all Libyan parties to reach a political solution, adding that Russia is a threat to the stability of the Mediterranean region and it spreads disinformation in order to create chaos;
- on December 15, the UNSMIL failed to achieve agreement among the participants of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) on selecting a mechanism or option to be used to elect new Presidential Council members and a Prime Minister ahead of an interim period that lasts till holding elections on December 24, 2021. The failure came as a third of the 71 participants boycotted the voting session, thus the two UNSMIL proposals didn’t get the needed votes since only 50 participants took part and 21 didn’t;
- on December 14, 30 members of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) have accused the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) of hindering the voting process for selecting a final mechanism for nomination of new persons to occupy the posts of the members of Presidential Council and the Prime Minister. The members said in a letter sent to Stephanie Williams that the amendment of the mechanism and addition of new voting proposals are designed to fit certain persons to be able to get nominated;
- Stephanie Williams, together with the co-chairs of the Economic Working Group, the USA, EU, and Egypt, convened on December 14 a meeting of representatives of Libyan economic institutions in Geneva to develop critical economic reforms and restore public confidence in the management of Libya’s economy, according to UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). Participants agreed that the current economic situation is unsustainable and that Libyan institutions must take steps towards functional unification, operate transparently and prove that they can effectively respond to the needs of the people, the Mission noted out;
- on December 14, the Arab Parliament concluded the second consultative session of the first legislative chapter, held at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, with an agenda of addressing all Arab issues. The Parliament called on all Libyan parties to assume their national responsibility and perform their duties to by putting the interest of Libya and its people over any other personal gain or influence.
