Dec. 8, LNA stops Turkish cargo heading to Misrata for allegedly violating no-entry maritime zone, detains crew, prompting Turkey’s vehement protests.
Dec. 8, reunified House of Representatives holds joint session in Ghadames, agrees to meet again on Dec. 21-22.
Dec. 10-12, more LNA troops approach Sirte-Jufra frontline, 17-vehicle LNA military convoy heads south, Russian military plane lands in Al-Qardabiya base near Sirte.
Dec. 13, Libyan Political Dialogue Forum agrees to keep current GNA PM Al-Sarraj as Presidential Council chairman.
AL-BAYDA
- Dec. 13, an armed group attacked the residential farm of Ms Azza al-Said, an MP and a participant in the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, in the city of Al-Bayda, in eastern Libya. The aggressors not only tampered with the contents of the farm dwelling, but also set fire to a number of cars belonging to her family. Local sources mentioned the Tariq Bin Ziyad brigade, one of the largest militias affiliated with Khalifa Haftar in eastern Libya, as the perpetrator of the attack. Al-Said had previously received threats for declaring that the war on Tripoli was a big mistake and that Haftar should bear sole responsibility.
MARSA SOUSSE
- Dec. 8, the LNA intercepted the “Mabrouka”, a Turkish cargo ship as it was heading to Libya’s Misrata reportedly carrying medicines on board, saying the ship was “violating instructions” by entering “a restricted area”. The ship was then tugged to Ras Al-Hilal port and the crew (9 Turkish nationals, 7 Indians and 1 Azerbaijani) were detained. A few days later, the ship and its crew were released after paying a fine. Turkey has protested vehemently and threatened to take action against Haftar.
SIRTE – JUFRA
- Dec. 12, the Sirte-Jufra Operations Room said that they had spotted an armed convoy of Haftar’s forces heading south from Jufra in central Libya. The convoy reportedly included 17 armed cars, six armoured vehicles and two trucks loaded with ammunition;
- Dec. 10, the GNA army said it had monitored suspicious LNA movements near Sirte and Jufra, just days after Haftar’s attack on a military camp in Ubari, southern Libya. The GNA army also declaredly tracked a Russian military plane landing in Al-Qardabiya base, in the city of Sirte, carrying weapons, ammunition, military hardware, and soldiers. The LNA’s move seems consistent with reports claiming that 11 buses carrying Syrian mercenaries had left the eastern region for Jufra;
- Dec. 7, the LNA made known that “instructions and orders were issued to all LNA units to be on a high level of caution” over concern about the growing number of GNA-affiliated militias in Tripoli and Misrata and near the frontline west of Sirte and Jufra.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- Dec. 13, the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) collectively agree to keep the current GNA PM, Fayez al-Sarraj, at his post as chairman of the Presidential Council. The members also agreed as previously discussed in an earlier session to appoint two new members from the East and West as his deputies, with Dr Moin Kikhia as Prime Minister;
- Dec. 13, UNSMIL gave new proposals for the voting mechanism on the Second and Third Options that were selected by Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) participants to elect a new executive authority, after the failure to reach the quorum determined by the previous method (75% of the LPDF votes);
- Dec. 12, Turkey’s presidency submitted a motion to parliament to extend troop deployment in Libya for 18 months despite the ongoing diplomatic efforts by the UN and the international community to promote a de-escalation in the Libyan conflict;
- Dec. 11, UNSMIL announced it would convene a “technical meeting” at the UN Office in Geneva Dec.14-15, to be co-chaired by Egypt, the US, and the EU, for the representatives of Libya’s main financial institutions “to reach an agreement on critical policy reforms”. France and other countries welcomed the initiative;
- Dec. 11, the EU’s European Council called on the Libyan authorities in the east of the country to “immediately release the Italian fishermen detained since September without any legal procedure being initiated”;
- Dec. 8, the Turkish embassy in Tripoli dismissed the claims of UAE-based broadcaster “Al-Arabiya” about a meeting between the Turkish ambassador and Libya’s High Council of State head Khalid al-Mishri. The embassy also denied sending any message to the Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha about his visits to Egypt and France;
- Dec. 8, speaking on the phone from Paris, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry confirmed Egypt’s’ coordination with its partners to maintain security and stability in Libya. Shoukry said that Egypt had made great efforts to the ceasefire in Libya, in coordination with partners, to preserve the capabilities and wealth of the Libyan people;
- Dec. 8, a consultative session of a reunified House of Representatives (HoR) in Ghadames agreed to continue to meet and set out a common agenda, and announce another meeting in Ghadames on December 21-22. There had been discussion of moving to Sabrata for logistical reasons. It was ultimately thought that Ghadames was a more neutral venue;
- Dec. 7, UNSMIL welcomed the release of Dr Siddiq Ben Della, after four days of his abduction. It called for a full and independent inquiry into this incident and all incidents of arbitrarily detention, kidnapping perpetrated by armed groups who continue to undermine the rule of law across Libya.
