Jan. 11-12, Presidential Council Deputy Head Ahmed Maetig meets in Rome with several Italian top officials, addresses bilateral relations, Libya’s security situation.
Russia Deputy FM Bogdanov meets in Moscow with Aguila Salah’s spokesman for talks on Libya’s political scenario, crisis management.
Jan. 16, LPDF advisory committee concludes activities, devises candidates selection mechanism for next transitional unity government.
Jan. 14, Italy appoints Pasquale Ferrara special envoy to Libya.
Jan. 14, EU appoints Italy’s Natalina Cea new EUBAM-Libya Head.
Jan. 16, UNSC confirms Ján Kubiš appointed UN envoy to Libya, succeeding Stephanie Williams.
AL-WATTIYA AB
- Jan. 11, residents near the Al-Wattiya airbase reported hearing explosions. Al-Wattiya AB commander Emhemed al-Sharif said military engineers had destroyed old ammunition in the vicinity of the airbase, adding that the sound heard in the area is coming from this process. Al-Sharif added that destroying explosive remnants of war (ERW) will take a few days as their amount is massive.
BENGHAZI
- in a Jan. 17 Facebook livestream video, LNA-affiliated Awliaa al-Dam (Blood Avengers) commander and prominent tribal leader Eyad al-Fessi admitted that after his son recently escaped a kidnap attempt, Benghazi and the entire eastern region have been suffering from “lack of security and lawlessness”. Al-Fessi said Benghazi has been stormed by the same wave of violence as in 2012, with seven killed in just three days, plus several other killings and kidnappings in the areas nearby.
DERNA
- Jan. 13, Haftar’s forces sent a strong warning to the people in Derna, threatening to burn down their homes if any slogans against the “Operation Dignity” or personal attacks on Haftar in the form of placards or graffiti were to be found on the walls of their homes. A short video was published on social media showing a group of Haftar forces burning the wall of a local house with anti-Haftar slogans on it.
KHOMS
- Jan. 11, the Ministry of Interior confirmed that security services at the port of Khoms seized a container arrived from China with machines, equipment, and raw materials used for manufacturing tramadol tablets. The Ministry confirmed the importer had been identified, and legal measures were taken against him. The container was seized with all its contents and sealed up.
REBIANA
- Jan. 17, the citizens in Rebiana, some 1,700 km SE of Tripoli, protested the power cuts which have plagued their area for more than six months. The demonstrators held the electricity company responsible due to its inaction and indifference towards the suffering in the region, a situation that has caused great damage to agriculture and medical supplies, and made daily life in the region extremely difficult.
TOBRUK
- Jan. 1, Tobruk Security Directorate forces reportedly found three Egyptian immigrants bearing signs of severe torture in the Bab Al-Zaytoun area, east of Tobruk. One of them had died of his injuries upon arriving at the Tobruk Medical Center. The Egyptians had been taken hostages in one of the storage areas that are often used to smuggling of illegal immigrants.
TRIPOLI
- Jan. 12, the GNA’s Interior Ministry announced that UK security company, Rose Partners is helping it set up a ‘‘Supreme Security Chamber’’, scheduled to be inaugurated on 17 Jan. The Supreme Security Chamber is intended to boost national leadership, regional coordination, and local implementation of central policies, according to a presentation Rose Partners made during the meeting;
- GNA Defense Minister, Salah al-Namroush agreed with Chief of Staff, Mohammed al-Haddad, and the commanders of western, central, and Tripoli’s military zones of the GNA armed forces to sign a “code of honor” that prohibits all brigades and forces from fighting one another.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- Russia’s Deputy FM Mikhail Bogdanov met in Moscow with Tobruk-based House of Representatives (HoR) Speaker Aguila Salah’s spokesman Abdul Basit al-Badri for talks on the political settlement of the present Libyan crisis, in light of the decisions outlined at the international conference in Berlin, along with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution, according to a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry;
- Jan. 16, Egypt’s President Al-Sisi said his country rejects any foreign military interference in Libya, and considers Libya’s Sirte and Jufra as red lines for Egypt’s national security e for Libya’s peace process. Al-Sisi’s remarks came during his meeting with Adel Abdul-Rahman al-Asoumi, speaker of the Cairo-based Arab Parliament. Al-Sisi told Al-Asoumi that unity among Arab states would help them maintain consistent policies to safeguard the security of all Arabs;
- Jan. 16, the EU, France, the US, and other countries and institutions hailed the “good progress” in Libya’s political negotiations after the LPDF advisory committee concluded its activities paving the way for a new phase to elect presidential candidates and choose a new temporary government. The committee outlined a mechanism for the selection and approval of the candidates who will form the next transitional government in charge for accompanying Libya to new general elections on Dec. 24, 2021;
- Italy’s special envoy to Libya, Pasquale Ferrara, said the new transitional government and leadership should be selected as soon as possible ahead of the general elections scheduled for Dec. 24, 2021. All major international stakeholders in Libya should have serious coordination and dialogue regarding the Libyan crisis, helping the country reach a political solution, Ferrara said;
- Jan. 14, the Italian Foreign Ministry appointed Pasquale Ferrara as special envoy to Libya, representing Italy in all initiatives related to the political process in Libya as part of Rome’s support for peace and stability in the country;
- Jan. 14, the EU appointed Natalina Cea (Italy) as the new Head of the EU Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) in Libya. She will take up her duties on Feb. 1, succeeding Vincenzo Tagliaferri (Italy), who has been Head of Mission since 1 Sept. 1, 2016. Ms. Cea is a seniore Italian civil servant with over 20 years of experience both in Italy — as Director of the International Cooperation and Technical Assistance Office of the Italian Customs Administration — and internationally;
- Jan. 13, Peter Stano, Spokesman of EU Foreign Policy chief Joseph Borrell, told reporters the EU still has “no formal response yet” to UNSG Guterres’ request to appoint observers to be sent to Libya overseeing the ceasefire. Stano added the EU is “in contact with UN partners and reflecting on what will be the best form of assistance and aid for the EU”;
- Jan. 13, the French embassy in Libya said the soon-to-be-appointed Libyan Government of National Union is going to be vital in steering Libya toward the national elections. The embassy also wished for the success of the Advisory Committee of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF);
- Jan. 13, US Ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland said LPDF Advisory Committee has been offered a chance to forge consensus on forming a new government that would pave the way for elections. Norland wished the LPDF Advisory Committee success in the upcoming Geneva meeting, stressing that it comes at a critical juncture in the Libyan political process;
- Jan. 16, UNSC confirmed the appointment of veteran diplomat Ján Kubiš as the new UN envoy to Libya, nearly a year after the last mediator, Ghassan Salamé stepped down. Kubiš will succeed Stephanie Williams, who has been acting envoy since Salamé’s resignation.
Jan. 12, UNSMIL welcomed the Brega meeting between western and eastern Libya to consolidate the 2021 national budget. “This intra-Libyan cooperation is encouraging and a much-needed step that should be matched by genuine efforts on the political track to form a unified government that will be better positioned to effectively implement the unified budget”, UNSMIL said;
- Jan. 12, Algeria’s FM Sabri Boukadoum discussed with South African top officials the Libyan situation during a working visit to South Africa. The talks touched upon the developments in the hotbeds of tension in the African continent, including the prevailing situation in Libya. Boukadoum and the South African FM noted during their meeting the consensus of both countries on supporting the international legitimacy path and the peaceful settlement of crises and conflicts in the continent;
- Jan. 12, the Deputy Head of the Presidential Council (PC) Ahmed Maetig met Italy’s FM Luigi Di Maio in Rome to discuss the latest developments in the Libyan political scene and bilateral relations between the two countries. A statement by the Italian Foreign Ministry said that Di Maio affirmed his government’s full support for the UN-led Libyan political dialogue aimed at holding presidential and legislative elections in December 2021;
- Jan. 12, Italy’s MoI Luciana Lamorgese said that bilateral relations between Italy and Libya have been strengthened greatly in recent months. During a meeting with Ahmed Mitig, Lamorgese confirmed “Italy’s strong commitment” in supporting the Libyan people in regard to the upcoming elections next December;
- Jan. 11, Italy’s MoD Lorenzo Guerini met Ahmed Maetig in Rome and confirmed that Italy is working to make the technical military agreement with Libya successful.
