Jan. 28, acting UN envoy Williams gives UNSC final briefing on Libya before successor Ján Kubiš takes office.
Jan. 30, UNSMIL announces final candidates list for Presidency Council, Prime Minister positions.
Jan. 31, LNA spokesman Gen. Al-Mismari denies presence of Russian Wagner mercenaries in Sirte, after satellite images show huge trench running around city, supposedly dug by “Russian mercenaries”.
SIRTE
- Jan. 31, LNA spokesman Gen. Al-Mismari denied the presence of Russian Wagner mercenaries in Sirte, stressing that the city is completely under LNA’s control. The announcement comes after recent satellite images obtained by CNN show a trench running for tens of kilometres reportedly was dug by “Russian mercenaries” near the frontline coastal city of Sirte. The dismissal from Haftar’s spokesman comes after anti-Wagner leaflets were found in Sirte, he described them as fake and stated that these provocative attempts to spread false news and divide the Libyan people will not prevail. Al-Mismari once again reiterated his party’s call for Turkish forces to immediately depart from Libyan soil.
TOBRUK
- Libya’s Eastern-based authorities in Tobruk have freed 32 Egyptians who were kidnapped by criminal gangs, Egyptian newspaper Al Youm Al Sabei reported Jan. 26 citing a Libyan security source. The freed Egyptians had crossed the border into Libya illegally. The Libyan source said that security forces arrested and are currently questioning a number of suspects who are believed to have been involved in the kidnapping and blackmailing of foreigners, especially Egyptians.
ZAWIYA REFINERY
- Jan. 25, the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) of the western region branch gave Finance Minister Faraj Bumatari a week to reverse his decision on stopping their field allowances, warning they would resort to closing the Zawiya refinery in the event their demands are not met. In a statement, the PFG called on the authorities to restore the field allowance and all other unpaid sums, in addition to providing them with military numbers and granting them health insurance.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- the U.S. Embassy congratulated the UN-facilitated Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) and all Libyans on the transparent process for selecting the candidates to serve in the new and unified interim government, which will guide Libya toward the Dec. 24, 2021 elections. The U.S. embassy said it strongly supported the LPDF’s upcoming meeting Feb. 1-5 in Geneva to vote on the candidates;
- Jan. 30, after a one-week hiatus pending the submission of all candidate applications, UNSMIL announced the final list of the candidates for the Presidency Council and Prime Minister positions. The winners will run another temporary interim administration tasked with preparing the country for the constitutionally-based Dec. 24, 2021 elections;
- Jan. 29, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed Siyala, and the British Chargé d’Affaires, Fleur Wilson, discussed bilateral coordination mechanisms on a number of common issues and assessed British companies’ intention to work in Libya. Sayala confirmed the depth of bilateral relations and praised the UK’s role in supporting the peace process in Libya;
- the US has called for the immediate withdrawal of foreign forces from Libya after a deadline for them to leave was ignored. “We call on all external parties, to include Russia, Turkey and the UAE, to respect Libyan sovereignty and immediately cease all military intervention in Libya,” the acting US ambassador Richard Mills said Jan. 28 during a UN Security Council meeting on Libya;
- Jan. 28, acting UN envoy Stephanie Williams gave a final briefing to the Security Council on Libya before her successor Ján Kubiš, takes office, saying the Berlin Conference did not end the conflict and the suffering of the Libyan people, nor did foreign support to the warring parties relent, as blatant foreign interference continues in Libya;
- Jan. 28, UNSG Guterres called on foreign fighters and mercenaries in Libya to immediately leave because “the Libyans have already proven that, left alone, they are able to address their problems”. Guterres praised the Libyans “for working together,” expressing hope that this effort is respected. “It’s essential that all foreign troops and all foreign mercenaries move first to Benghazi and to Tripoli and, from there, leave the Libyans alone,” said Guterres;
- Jan. 28, Malta’s Ambassador to Libya, Charles Saliba, affirmed that his country is seeking to open a consulate in Misrata “as soon as possible,” stressing Malta’s keenness to develop its cooperative relations with Libya in various fields. The ambassador’s remarks came during his visit to Misrata, accompanied by the Consul General of Malta in Tripoli;
- Al-Bayda Court of Appeal issued a ruling nullifying the GNA’s decrees regarding the maritime border demarcation agreement, security and military cooperation agreement with Turkey. The ruling welcome a request by the House of Representatives (HoR) calling for nullifying agreements that are seen as a violation of Libya’s sovereignty;
- Jan. 27, UNSMIL reiterated its call for the unification of the electoral authorities for municipal council elections in Libya. UNSMIL stressed in a statement the importance of holding municipal elections, urging all stakeholders, institutions and prominent figures involved in municipal elections including the House of Representatives (HoR), to support and facilitate the cooperation among the two electoral bodies of Tripoli and Benghazi, as an essential step towards the unification of Libyan institutions;
- Algeria said it will reopen its embassy in Tripoli in the coming days after seven years of closure over security threats. The announcement came Jan. 27 after a visit for the Algerian Foreign Minister, Sabri Boukadoum, to Tripoli, where he carried out a visit to check on the conditions of the embassy headquarters ahead of reopening in the few coming days;
- Sabri Boukadoum reiterated his country’s support for the agreement on Libya elections Dec. 24, 2021, saying they are ready to play a bigger role in the dialogue tracks to resolve the Libyan crisis. Boukadoum’s remarks came in a visit he paid to Tripoli Jan. 27, when he met the Head of the Presidential Council, Fayez al-Sarraj, and Foreign Minister Mohammed Sayala, along with other officials;
- German Ambassador to Libya Oliver Owcza discussed Libya’s immigration issue with the Head of the Directorate for Combatting Illegal Migration (DCIM), General Al-Mabrouk Abdel-Hafiz. Jan. 26, Owcza expressed his country’s support for the closure of migrant centres along the coast. “In an open and frank discussion with General Al-Mabrouk, Head of DCIM, we welcomed progress in the closure of detention centres along the coast,” Owcza stated, “We likewise discussed the need for durable, rights-based solutions for refugees and migrants and offered continued support.”
