Dec-22, Mladenov turns down UN Libya envoy appointment, acting envoy Williams to retain post until new envoy selected.
Dec-22, Turkey parliament passes motion for 18-month Libya troops deployment extension.
Dec-24, Libya marks 69th Independence Day as LNA chief Haftar threatens Turkey to “leave Libya peacefully or get ready for war”; LNA states GNA militants, foreign mercenaries amassing near Misrata arguably ahead of attack on Sirte, Al-Jufra.
Dec-27, Turkey Def. Minister Akar says LNA forces “legitimate targets” if they attack Turkish troops in Libya, vows Turkey to keep providing GNA with training, assistance.
AL JUFRA – SIRTE
- on December 24, LNA Spokesperson Ahmed al-Mesmari stated that thousands of militants and GNA-sponsored foreign mercenaries are amassing east of Misrata allegedly in preparation for an attack on Sirte and Al-Jufra. Reportedly equipped with modern Turkish arms, they are currently stationed in Hisha, Qadahya, and Zamzam, and also threatened to launch attacks on LNA-controlled sites in Sirte and Al-Jufra with the final scope of infiltrating eastern Libya;
- on December 23, GNA’s Sirte-Al Jufra Ops Room said its forces “are on alert for any possible attacks by Khalifa Haftar’s forces on the Sirte-Al Jufra contact line as they continue to mobilize in the ceasefire area, with more fortifications being built and Haftar’s reinforcements amassing around Sirte and Al-Jufra”. Haftar’s forces had been planting landmines and digging trenches as well as mobilizing forces and heavy weapons, which could point to an April-2019-styled offensive by Haftar, the Ops Room pointed out.
TARHUNA
- on December 24, the authorities discovered two more mass graves in Tarhuna’s Mashru’a Alrabet District. The General Authority for Research and Identification of Missing Persons is yet to report about the number of bodies found in the graves.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- on December 27, an Egyptian delegation visited Tripoli to meet with GNA top officials, check the headquarters of the Egyptian embassy, and reiterate the importance of the ceasefire and the activation of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission on the peace process. Talks with GNA officials aimed at restoring relations between Cairo and Libya’s UN-sanctioned government after a long period of estrangement. The parties also agreed on reopening their respective embassies and restoring flights between the two countries;
- on December 27, Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that Haftar’s forces would be seen as legitimate targets were they to attack Turkish troops in Libya, in which case they would be unable to find any safe place to flee to. Akar added that Turkey keeps providing the GNA with “training and assistance programs as per our agreements”, with over 3,000 Libyan soldiers trained so far;
- on December 26, Hulusi Akar arrived in Tripoli to inspect Turkish units deployed in the country. The visit is seen as a response to the threats made by Khalifa Haftar on Libya’s 69th Independence Day, that if Turkish forces refuse to withdraw peacefully, LNA fighters will drive them out of Libya by force;
- on December 26, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova denied US allegations that Russia supported Khalifa Haftar’s 2019 offensive on Tripoli;
- on December 25, Libya’s warring parties exchanged prisoners under the supervision of UNSMIL and the 5+5 Joint Military Commission;
- on December 24, Libya’s 69th Independence Day, UNSMIL congratulated all Libyans inside and outside the country and urged them to put differences and past grievances aside to work towards a better future. This day also marks the start of the one-year preparation for Libya’s national elections in 2021;
- on December 24, in a speech delivered during a ceremony organized in Benghazi by the LNA General Command on the 69th anniversary of Libya’s independence, Marshal Haftar made sharp statements on Turkey, asking it to choose between leaving Libya peacefully or getting ready for war. “Independence has no value, freedom has no meaning, no security, no peace, as long as the feet of the Turkish army contaminate our pure land”, Haftar said;
- on December 23, the Egyptian National Commission on Libya received a delegation from southern Libyan cities to assess the latest developments in Libya and the chances available to resolve the crisis in a way that can enhance the contribution of Libyans themselves to the process. The Libyan delegation also emphasized the difficulties caused by the disruption of such basic utilities as electricity, water, healthcare, and educational services;
- on December 23, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov said international efforts to reach a peace settlement in Libya should be intensified based on the tenets of the ceasefire agreement signed last October;
- in a December 23 letter to PM Al-Sarraj, US President Donald Trump reiterated Washington’s commitment to helping Libya regain its unity and sovereignty, saying the ceasefire and progress of the political dialogue are good signs for ending conflicts in the country;
- on December 23, Asaad al-Shartaa, the Official spokesperson for the breakaway Libyan Parliament in Tripoli, the House of Representatives (HoR), described the dismissal of 35 HoR members as a political and illegal maneuver, after news circulated that Ageela Saleh, the constitutional head of the internationally recognized HoR based in Benghazi, had dismissed 35 MPs whom he considered as boycotters;
- on December 22, GNA media advisor, Hassan al-Huni vehemently denied that PM Al-Sarraj ever offered Khalifa Haftar to appoint the next prime minister, as reported by Italian newspaper La Repubblica;
- in a December 22 interview, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio denied the rumors about a deal between his government and Khalifa Haftar for the release of four Libyan human traffickers in exchange for the 18 Italian fishermen held in Benghazi. Di Maio stated the fishermen were released for nothing in return, and praised the Italian intelligence and diplomatic services for their vital role in the liberation of the Italian hostages;
- on December 22, the Turkish parliament passed a motion to extend troop deployment in Libya for another 18 months. The proposal was submitted by the Turkish presidency last week following a request from Libya’s GNA for military assistance;
- in a December 22 interview with To Vima, Greek FM Nikos Dendias discussed Greece’s relations with Germany, sanctions, illegal immigration, as well the situation across the Eastern Mediterranean and in Libya, a dossier that absorbed most of Dendias’ energies almost from the beginning of his tenure, and even more so after the signing of the Turkish-Libyan Maritime Memorandum back in November, 2019;
- UNSG António Guterres has appointed Georgette Gagnon of Canada as Assistant Secretary-General and Resident Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya, due to replace Yacoub El Hillo at the beginning of January 2021;
- on December 22, Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov told UNSG António Guterres he will be unable to take up the role as UN Libya envoy next year due to “personal and family reasons”. Acting envoy Stephanie Williams will retain her position until a new envoy is selected;
- on December 21, Malta agreed to start issuing Schengen visas at its embassy in Tripoli as well as to restore direct flights to Libya and European capitals. The announcement came after a meeting between deputy Council President, Ahmed Maetig and Malta’s Minister of Finance and Labour, Clyde Caruana;
- on December 21, UNSMIL Acting head, Stephanie Williams inaugurated the Legal Committee of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF). In her opening remarks at the virtual launch meeting, Williams congratulated the delegates on the establishment of the Legal Committee, which marks the beginning of the “Preparatory phase’’ for a comprehensive path to national elections;
- on December 21, the United States unsealed criminal charges against a third alleged conspirator in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people, mostly Americans. The suspect, Abu Agila Mohammad Masud Kheir al-Marimi, a former senior Libyan intelligence official, was charged with two criminal counts related to the bombing. US Attorney General William Barr said Masud is in Libyan custody, and US officials are hopeful that Libya will allow him to be tried in the United States.
