Turkey’s military air bridge continues amidst increasing tensions between GNA, LNA.
Turkey-backed Syrian mercenaries in Libya voice discontent over unpaid salaries, illegal salary deductions.
LPDF Advisory Committee established.
AL-WATIYA
- Dec. 31, two cargo planes from Turkey landed at Libya’s Al-Watiya AB, one carrying advanced air defense systems exclusively owned by NATO member states, the other one bringing logistics materials, Italian news agency Nova reported.
TRIPOLI
- Jan. 2, Turkey-backed Syrian mercenaries appeared in a video protesting over the delayed payments of their salaries by Turkey and the GNA. They demanded Ankara to pay them directly instead of through the mercenaries’ leaders, who are said to deliberately delay the payment in addition to deducing USD 100 to 300 from each salary;
- Dec. 29, counter-narcotics authorities said they had arrested a notorious drug trader following intelligence about a Libyan national selling drugs en masse in the Tajoura district, E of Tripoli. The man was caught red-handed selling Rouge tablets, XTC tablets, XTC tablets, and drug paraphernalia. He also carried a gun.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- Dec. 30, in a virtual meeting with GNA PM Al-Sarraj, the diplomatic representatives of Germany, Italy, France, the US, and the UK in Libya jointly reiterated full support to the UN-facilitated Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) and the related economic and security dialogues; welcomed recent prisoner exchanges between the GNA and the Libyan National Army (LNA); and urged the reopening of the Misrata-Sirte coastal highway as agreed by the 5+5 JMC in October;
- Dec. 30, at a joint press conference with GNA counterpart Mohamed Siala, Russia’s FM Lavrov said there is a need to encourage all parties to build dialogue and oppose attempts to return to a belligerent rhetoric, let alone resume military activities. The parties are working to make sure the LPDF becomes a sustainable platform and paves the way for specific agreements, Lavrov added;
- in a letter to the UNSC, UNSG Guterres proposed international monitors to support Libya’s fragile ceasefire amid hopes that foreign fighters will soon leave and the country can turn the page on a decade of war. The monitoring group would be composed of civilians and retired soldiers from regional groups such as the African Union, the European Union, and the Arab League, as both the GNA and the LNA want to avoid armed foreign troops on Libyan soil;
- Dec. 29, High Council of State chief Al-Mishri discussed via Zoom with US ambassador Norland the latest developments in the LPDF as well as a number of issues of common interest. The two sides reiterated their hope for the LPDF to eventually provide stability, organize fair elections, and end divisions in Libya;
- Dec. 29, in a joint press conference with Russia’s counterpart Lavrov, Turkey’s FM Çavuşoğlu said Turkey supports ceasefire and stability in Libya, despite Haftar’s attempts to change the balance of power toward his forces; he added Turkish forces are in Libya per an agreement with the legitimate Libyan government, the GNA, not for Turkey’s own interests but for the joint interests of Libya and Turkey;
- Dec. 29, France’s FM spokesperson Agnes Von Der Muhll called on all parties in Libya to reengage in the UN-led political process and desist from any hostility. Regarding France’s position on Haftar’s recent war threats, Ms Von Der Muhll clarified that “there is no military solution to be found in Libya”;
- Greece’s FM Nikos Dendias expressed his country’s concern over Turkey’s plans to establish a base on the Libyan coast close to Crete. Dendias also stressed his country would rather that Libyan shores be controlled and protected by local authorities instead of militias or foreign [i.e. Turkish] troops deployed in the country;
- Dec. 28, Arab Parliament speaker Adel bin Abdulrahman al-Assoumi voiced the parliament’s rejection of Turkey’s threats against the LNA and its continuous interference in Libyan affairs, in light of the Turkish Parliament’s recent approval of a motion to extend troop deployments in Libya by 18 months;
- Dec. 28, sources reported that Egypt’s FM Sameh Shoukry phoned GNA counterpart Mohamed Siala and discussed developments in Libya as well as Cairo’s support to stability in Libya. Shoukry praised the positive reception GNA officials in Tripoli reserved for the Egyptian delegation, hoping the visit may pave the way for more cooperation between Cairo and Tripoli;
- Jan. 2, UNSMIL announced the establishment of the LPDF Advisory Committee with a temporary mandate to discuss pressing issues related to the selection of a unified executive and to put forward concrete and practical recommendations, upon which the plenary shall deliberate;
- Dec. 30, the LPDF agreed to form a 15-member Advisory Committee representing Libya’s three regions;
- Dec. 28, UNSMIL head Stephanie Williams facilitated the second virtual meeting of the LPDF Legal Committee, focusing on legislative and legal foundations necessary for holding national elections next Dec. 24. National Election Commission chief Emad al-Sayeh briefed the attendees on the Commission’s technical preparedness.
